Apple Increases Number of Test Drivers for Its Autonomous Fleet, Keeps Fleet Size Steady
Reading Time: 2 minutes We have the latest California DMV Autonomous Vehicles Program details, including the latest numbers for Apple’s self-driving program. According to the California DMV, Apple has increased the number of drivers for its autonomous vehicles from 196 to 201 since our last report in January 2023. Apple has kept its fleet size steady at 67. Apple decreased its fleet size earlier this year for the first time since July 2021.
Other notable changes since our last report include:
- Mercedes has increased its number of drivers by 28.
- Waymo cut its driving team by 52 and decreased its fleet size by 10.
- Cruise decreased its number of drivers by 18 and made a sizable increase to its fleet size by adding 74 more vehicles.
- Zoox has upped its driving team 1021 by adding 60 more drivers. It has added 15 cars to its fleet.
- Nvidia increased 32.
- Nuro dropped 29 drivers and slashed its fleet size by 71.
Fleet volumes
Fleet volumes from California DMV as of March 17, 2023
| Manufacturer Name | Drivers | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| MERC BENZ | 179 | 55 |
| WAYMO | 971 | 326 |
| TESLA | 59 | 14 |
| CRUISE | 414 | 709 |
| ZOOX | 1021 | 167 |
| NVIDIA | 262 | 13 |
| APPLE | 201 | 67 |
| TOYOTA | out | out |
| NURO | 81 | 115 |
| MOTIONAL | 37 | 62 |
| WOVEN PLANET | 77 | 38 |
| PONY.AI | 7 | 11 |
Driverless programs
The driverless program is still progressing slowly in California. Apple still has not applied for a driverless permit.
- Waymo dropped a few cars and is down to 265 from 273.
- Cruise has again decreased its driverless fleet size. Now at 301 from 372.
Driverless fleet volumes as of March 17, 2023
| Manufacturer | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| WAYMO | 265 |
| NURO | 14 |
| AUTOX | 1 |
| ZOOX | 4 |
| CRUISE | 301 |
| 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 January 13, 2023:
- Waymo has added 6 new collisions.
- Cruise added 3.
- Zoox added 5.
- Apple and WeRide both added 1.
Apple’s latest collision on February 21, 2023 was not particularly interesting:
- “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.”
| Manufacturer | Collisions |
|---|---|
| WAYMO | 227 |
| CRUISE | 203 |
| ZOOX | 72 |
| APPLE | 16 |
| AURORA | 4 |
| WERIDE | 5 |
| ARGO | 4 |
| MOTIONAL | 2 |
| NISSAN | 1 |
| AIMOTIVE | 1 |
| TOYOTA | out |
Previous coverage of Apple’s autonomous vehicle program
- November 2022: Apple Has Added 51 More Drivers in 2022 While Fleet Size Remains Steady
- 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
