Apple now has more than 50 autonomous cars on the road

Apple is continuing to develop its self-driving program and they now have more than 5o autonomous cars on the road.

The tech company has doubled the number of its self-driving cars according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Apple's fleet size has steadily risen since obtaining a permit to test autonomous vehicles. The programme has grown from a just three test cars in the beginning to 55 intelligent autonomous vehicles. If the programme remains on course, car buyers could be could be in an Apple Autonomous Car by 2019.

The company plans for 83 drivers to test the vehicles but at this stage, Apple hasn't been given the go-ahead by authorities to test self-driving cars independent of human supervision; for that, Apple will need to submit a separate permit to the DMV, which is what Waymo did recently. The DMV also revealed that a second unnamed company had requested approval to begin driverless testing, but hasn't parted with any additional details.

The autonomous car scene is heating up and one of the biggest issues inherent to automated technology is safety. The recent fatal accident involving one of Uber's self-driving prototypes -- apparently due to misaligned software couldn't be stopped by the test driver in time.

This indicates a margin of error that's worth considering before rushing into fully self-driving trials; before the public can accept autonomous cars as a reliable alternative, companies need to gain its trust.

There's always a risk of mechanical failure, and human error can't be ignored, either. but if companies identified problems and developed adequate prevention measures in advance, the number of accidents could experience a remarkable drop. That might push back release schedules, but autonomous safety should be a top priority.

Author

Justin Kavanagh
Justin Kavanagh is a recognised leader in automotive intelligence and vehicle data supply to the entire motor industry. He has almost 20 years experience in building systems from the ground up. As the Managing Director of Vehicle Management System, he understands the need and importance of trustworthy and reliable vehicle history and advice to both the trade and the public.
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