After cutting its California self-driving test fleet to 54 in May, Apple has been consistently expanding the number of drivers as months go by. Now, the company has 137 drivers. As spotted by macReports with numbers from the California DMV, Apple is slowly going closer to the number of drivers it had last October: 154.
Unfortunately, one number that doesn’t change at all is how many self-driving vehicles the company has. This number has been at 69 since August.
According to the California DMV, Apple has yet to apply for a driverless permit, as there are several manufacturers who have driverless permits for their fleets.
Since the latest report, in which Apple had two more collision counts with its autonomous vehicles, it has reported one additional collision. In total, the company now counts six collisions.
Although Apple keeps working on its self-driving technology, it’s still unclear when it will become publicly announced as the Apple Car. A couple of months ago, the company announced that its VP Doug Field was stepping down from the Apple Car project for a new gig at Ford and that Apple’s Kevin Lynch was taking over the Project Titan.
Rumors about the Apple Car also maintain the mystery as a sketchy report suggested that Apple is now developing its car alone to avoid further delays.
In this report, Mail Economic Daily said that Apple has “hundred of vehicle-related engineers,” and it’s selecting final parts suppliers for its project.
In August, Korea Times reported that Apple was in talks to develop its electric car with a Korean partner, as the company wouldn’t be able to complete its EV business plan without partnerships with the country’s vendor.
As for now, it’s still unclear what Apple plans to create with its Apple Car project, whether it’s a car for retail sales, a ride-sharing car, or even just a technology for other vehicles. Its launch is also unclear, with reports saying it could be unveiled any time in this decade.
Read our full roundup about the Apple Car here.
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