Apple okayed to test self-driving cars

Apple Inc. has secured a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California, which allows it to conduct test drives in three vehicles with six drivers, the state Department of Motor Vehicles said on Friday.

Although it has never openly acknowledged it is looking into building an electric car, Apple has recruited dozens of auto experts. The vehicles are all 2015 Lexus RX450h, according to the DMV.

'This does confirm what's long been rumored, that Apple is at least toying with the idea of getting into the autonomous game in some capacity,” said Chris Theodore, President of consultancy Theodore and Associates and a former vice president at Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler.

The permit does not necessarily mean Apple is building a car.

'This is not necessarily automobiles as initially rumored, but software or possibly hardware associated with autonomous technology,” Theodore said.

An Apple spokesman declined to comment directly on the filing, pointing back to a statement when the company submitted its comments to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration late last year.

After a five-page letter last November from Steve Kenner, Apple's director of product integrity, to NHTSA, the company was under increased speculation that they would enter into the competitive self-driving space.

'The company is investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation,” Kenner wrote.