Apple is continuing its autonomous vehicle testing in California with the latest data showing it has added more drivers. The new report shows more than 200 people authorized to support the operation of its 67-vehicle test fleet with one very minor collision happening last month.
Apple’s autonomous auto testing is growing – as far as drivers – even though the latest report from Bloomberg says that the first Apple Car expected in 2026 will not come with full-self driving. But the company may still include some advanced driver assistance features that could allow drivers and passengers to “watch a movie or play a game” while traveling.
The latest numbers on Apple’s autonomous fleet come from macReports and show the number of drivers has increased from 196 to 201, the highest we’ve seen in some time. Meanwhile, the vehicle fleet has remained at 67.
Here’s a look at how Apple’s fleet and drivers compare to competitors:
Another interesting part of the data is how many collisions each company had with their vehicles. Since January 13, 2023, Apple had one more collision, bringing its total to 16.
However, even the most minor accidents have to be reported and this latest was one of those. No one was injured – it was actually just a case of curb rash when in manual mode:
“On February 21st, a test vehicle operating in manual driving mode was making a u-turn from Westbound to Eastbound Homestead Road at the intersection with Kennewick Drive in Sunnyvale when the right front tire and rim made contact with the curb. No injuries were reported and law enforcement was not called to the scene. The test vehicle sustained damage to the right front rim.”
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