Drive.ai hit the streets of Arlington, Texas, final 12 months.
Drive.ai
Apple has reportedly acquired autonomous driving startup Drive.ai in an effort to bolster its self-driving automotive ambitions. The iPhone maker has employed dozens of Drive.ai’s engineers and brought possession of the corporate’s vehicles and different acquisitions as a part of the deal, Axios reported Tuesday.
The startup — as soon as valued at greater than $200 million — shut down its operations in mid-June, in accordance with a California regulatory submitting (PDF). Axios stated Apple confirmed the acquisition, however the web site did not report phrases of the deal.
The deal means that Apple hasn’t deserted its Challenge Titan self-driving automotive program. Apple reportedly lower greater than 200 staff from the secretive program in January.
The Mountain View, California-based firm launched in 2015, growing a retrofit equipment so as to add autonomous driving programs to present vehicles.
Final July, Drive.ai launched its first self-driving shuttle service in Frisco, Texas. The free program relied on Drive.ai’s new app, which allowed its customers to hail a journey in one in every of Drive.ai’s self-driving vans.
Drive.ai’s vans have been a little bit completely different than those with Waymo livery, together with box-shaped outcroppings on all sides let folks across the car know what is going on on, whether or not it is ready at a crosswalk for somebody to go or parked on the facet of the highway ready on a buyer.
Drive.ai engineered its pilot program with the assistance of Frisco’s native transit authority, spending an excessive amount of time getting ready the vehicles themselves. The corporate spent 4 months touring each inch of its geo-fenced route, together with parking heaps.
Apple did not instantly reply to a request for remark.
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