Apple boosts autonomous vehicle testers as Apple Car project remains stalled

After slimming its autonomous vehicle program in early 2023, Apple is adding back test drivers. Here’s how Apple’s self-driving car testing efforts look as it begins 2024 – amid the Apple Car project remaining at a stand-still.

In 2023, Apple started with the largest team of autonomous vehicle testers it ever had – over 200 – before cutting back significantly.

Now in the latest update on Apple’s autonomous vehicle efforts, the program has returned to adding more drivers while vehicles in testing remain the same.

Reported by macReports, Apple now has 162 drivers for this program with 68 autonomous vehicles.

As a refresher, in 2022 we heard that an Apple Car release date might happen in 2026. But then in fall 2023, we saw a prediction from Ming-Chi Kuo that the project is stalled with no release date on the horizon.

• Apple Car development stalls with no release date in sight, Kuo says
• Apple Car on track for 2026 release, under $100K price, custom chip, and no full self-driving at launch

Here’s how Apple compares to the competition for autonomous vehicle testing:

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