Technology companies that develop self -driving car technology have benefited from the brakes on the public road test in California, according to what they said New data From the state’s auto department.
The agency said on Friday that a total of 4.5 million miles is a decreased vehicle test in 2024, a 50 % decrease from the previous year, the agency said on Friday. This number covers two types of permits: self -government vehicles with human safety drivers behind the wheel and those that allow a driver without a driver test.
The decrease is more clear in the driver’s test category, according to DMV, the agency that regulates the testing of independent vehicles in the state. Records show that the test without driver decreased by 83 % from 3.26 million miles in 2023 to only 552,895 miles last year.
DMV also released her Annual disengagement reportsAnd the details of the cases that human drivers had to control due to technology failure or safety concerns. These reports have been controversial in the past because companies use varying criteria, which makes it impossible to compare the results or assess the efficiency of independent vehicle technology.
The new numbers reflect an industry that contains a few players, the transfer of Waymo to the Robotaxi commercial player, comment, and final closure, from Cruise by the parent company General Motors.
Cruise and Waymo historically reported the highest test miles. For example, Cruise 2.6 million miles recorded a test in 2023 until DMV suspended its permits in October of that year. The company has never re -testing in California. Waymo has turned away from the test while he was intensifying commercial operations in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
There has been a noticeable decrease over the past three years in new DMV permits to test vehicles with a human driver. In 2022, four permits were issued. The following year, new permits were granted. DMV gave only a new permit in 2024.
Today, only 31 companies carry test permits with the safety driver-and those among them, only 11 general tests in 2024. Nine companies have stopped reports for a period of 2023-2024 on the test and withdrawn it from the program, according to the program, according to the program and DMV. Tesla, for example, did not register any independent miles, according to the report.
Six companies are approved, including Autox, Nuro, Weride, Waymo and Zoox for a driver. Only Mercedes -Benz (which has an advanced system to help drivers that allows hands -free driving on some highways), Nuro and Waymo has permits that allow commercial operations.
This lies, unlike the vibrant and independent days when the investment funds flowed, and up to 60 companies had permits to test the so -called independent vehicles “withdrawn”. The unification period was swept through the emerging industry in 2019.
Today, fewer companies are ready to pour millions in developing independent vehicle technology. Although there are some modern extremist values. Wayve collected a billion dollars in May, and the Waymo 5.6 billion dollars raised in November.
The result is a short list of active participants – with Waymo in the foreground, in terms of testing and commercial miles. The result is a unified industry that lacks competition on the commercial front.
