Apple Adds More Drivers to Autonomous Vehicle Team; Decreases Fleet Size
Reading Time: 3 minutes We have received the latest California DMV’s Autonomous Vehicles Program details. According to the California DMV, Apple has increased the number of drivers for its autonomous vehicles from 188 to 196 since our last report in November 2022. It has also decreased the size of its fleet from 69 to 67. Its fleet size had been holding steady at 69 since July 2021.
Other notable changes since our last report from the major players in California’s self-driving scene include:
- Tesla has cut its driving team dramatically from 86 to 59 and reduced its fleet size by 8 vehicles which is now down to 14.
- Apple increased the size of its driving team from 188 to 196 and reduced its fleet size from 69 to 67.
- Toyota is now out of the game. Back in November 2022, it had 35 drivers and 34 vehicles on its permit. Woven Planet, a Toyota subsidiary, is still in it, with no changes since our last report.
- Motional has made a big cut to its driving team, now at 37, down from 60.
- Also, Pony.ai is back in the game with 7 drivers and 11 vehicles. Pony had its permit to test drivered vehicles suspended back in May 2022. Prior to the suspension, Pony had 70 drivers and 41 vehicles in its program.
- Cruise dropped the size of its team by 12 and is now at 432. It has also increased its fleet size from 519 to 635.
- Nvidia cut 36 drivers and is now at 230.
Fleet volumes
Fleet volumes from California DMV as of January 13, 2023
| Manufacturer Name | Drivers | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| MERC BENZ | 151 | 55 |
| WAYMO | 1023 | 336 |
| TESLA | 59 | 14 |
| CRUISE | 432 | 635 |
| ZOOX | 961 | 152 |
| NVIDIA | 230 | 13 |
| APPLE | 196 | 67 |
| TOYOTA | out | out |
| NURO | 110 | 44 |
| MOTIONAL | 37 | 66 |
| WOVEN PLANET | 77 | 38 |
| PONY.AI | 7 | 11 |
Driverless programs
Not much has changed with the driverless program numbers since last November. Apple still has not applied for a driverless permit in California.
- Cruise has decreased its driverless fleet size from 293 to 372.
Driverless fleet volumes as of January 13, 2023
| Manufacturer | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| WAYMO | 273 |
| NURO | 14 |
| AUTOX | 1 |
| ZOOX | 2 |
| CRUISE | 372 |
| APOLLO | 4 |
| WERIDE | 4 |
Driverless deployment
The list of manufacturers who are licensed to deploy their driverless cars has remained unchanged since September 2021.
| Issue Date | Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Dec 23, 2020 | NURO |
| Sep 30, 2021 | CRUISE |
| Sep 30, 2021 | WAYMO |
Collision Volumes
The reported collisions for autonomous vehicles being tested in California include even the most minor incidents and must be reported even if the car was in manual driving mode.
Since November 10, 2022:
- Waymo has added 7 new collisions.
- Cruise added 5.
- Zoox added 4.
- Apple added 1.
Apple’s latest collision on December 20, 2022 was nothing particularly interesting:
- “On December 20th, a test vehicle operating in manual driving mode was traveling Northbound on Highway 101 in Belmont when a nearby Subaru Outback ran over road debris, which was projected onto the test vehicle. No injuries were reported and law enforcement was not called to the scene. The test vehicle sustained cosmetic damage to the right headlamp and hood.”
| Manufacturer | Collisions |
|---|---|
| WAYMO | 221 |
| CRUISE | 200 |
| ZOOX | 67 |
| APPLE | 15 |
| AURORA | 4 |
| WERIDE | 4 |
| ARGO | 4 |
| MOTIONAL | 2 |
| NISSAN | 1 |
| AIMOTIVE | 1 |
| TOYOTA | 1 |
Previous coverage of Apple’s autonomous vehicle program
- September 2022: Apple Adds More Drivers to its Autonomous Vehicle Program; Waymo, Cruise Make Huge Additions to Their Driverless Fleets
- June 2022: New Apple Autonomous Vehicle Data: 7 More Drivers for Apple’s Fleet
- March 2022: Apple Adds More Drivers to Its Autonomous Vehicle Program
- January 2022: Apple Adds 11 Drivers to Autonomous Fleet; Other Manufacturers See Changes
Early autonomous vehicle coverage
