Audi Snags First Permit To Test Self-Driving Cars In California
LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) — Audi is the first automaker to get a permit to test self-driving cars on California roads, the same day new state regulations took effect.
Computer-driven cars have already been testing their skills on California roads for more than four years — but until now, the Department of Motor Vehicles wasn't sure just how many were rolling around.
On Tuesday, the DMV issued testing permits that let three other auto companies dispatch vehicles onto freeways and into neighborhoods — with a human behind the wheel in case the onboard equipment makes a bad decision.
These may be the cars of the future, but for now they represent a tiny fraction of California's approximately 32 million registered vehicles.
Google's souped-up Lexus SUVs are the biggest fleet, with 25 vehicles. Mercedes and the Volkswagen Group of America have two vehicles each, said Bernard Soriano, the DMV official overseeing the state's "autonomous vehicle" regulation-writing process. A "handful" of other companies are applying for permits, he said.
The permits formally regulate testing that already was underway. Google alone is closing in on 1 million miles. The technology giant has bet heavily on the vehicles, which navigate using sophisticated sensors and detailed maps.
California passed its law after Nevada and Florida and before Michigan. The federal government has not acted, and national regulations appear to be years away.
It's impossible to know the total number of self-driving cars being tested on public roads because, unlike California and Nevada, Michigan does not require special permits to test self-driving cars on public roads.
Toyota, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors are "all running around here with some form of autonomous vehicle," said James Fackler, assistant administrator for the Michigan Department of State, which registers motor vehicles. Carmakers do not need a permit — manufacturer's license plates are enough, and those plates can also be used on future models or other kinds of experimental cars.
Nevada has issued several test vehicle licenses to Google, VW and the auto supplier Continental, according to its Department of Motor Vehicles.
In Florida, only Audi has tested self-driving technology and no testing is ongoing, according to a spokesman for the state's motor vehicles department.
With California's testing rules in effect, the DMV is drafting regulations that will govern self-driving cars once they are ready for the general public.
Rules already mandate that the driver must be an employee of the automaker, be a licensed driver for at least three years, have a clean driving record and be sober and seated in the driver's seat at all times.
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