Apple Self-Driving Car Officially In The Works
Apple self-driving cars may be coming to the market soon.
Last year, the rumor mill spread word that Apple was taking interest in developing its own self-driving car, taking out employees and engineers to work in a secret lab meant for Project Titan, the codename for the rumored vehicle automation development. Last week the Cupertino-based company confirmed the reports, saying that it really was working on its very own Apple self-driven car and that it was investing in the study of machine automation.
The Director of Apple Product Integrity, Steve Kenner, wrote in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) head that Apple was focusing on the development of automation and machine learning, making large investments in the study of the two. Apparently the tech-mogul was excited to learn about the potential of automation and Kenner highlighted that one of the areas the company was most excited about was transportation. Though Kenner's letter didn't explore the details of Apple's self-driving car, Kenner emphasized that society would benefit a lot from the automation of vehicles, writing that it would save lives through its potential to prevent car accidents and fatalities.
In the letter, Apple also asked regulators to refrain from creating and acting out restrictions on self-driving car testing. The tech mogul hopes that new entrants to the vehicle development market as well as established vehicle manufacturers would be given equal treatment so that Apple could work on its self-driving car with ease.
Five pages in length, Kenner's letter to the NHTSA was sent on Nov. 22 but has just emerged in the news recently in Apple's attempts to ask for a level-playing field and support from the NHTSA. The Financial Times reports that an Apple spokesman had even went to confirm the letter to make its intentions as clear as day: Apple is in the process of developing its own automated vehicle and it wants support from both the public and the government.
