Apple Inc has publicly acknowledged its plans to develop self-driving cars. There have been rumours for long about the firm’s interest in self-driving cars, though it had never before made this official, reported The Financial Times.
In a five-page letter from Steve Kenner, Apple’s director of product integrity, to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the company says it is excited about “the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation.”
“Executed properly under NHTSA’s guidance, automated vehicles have the potential to greatly enhance the human experience – to prevent millions of car crashes and thousands of fatalities each year and to give mobility to those without,” the letter added.
In the letter, Kenner also urged that manufacturers should pool their data as they develop automated systems. “By sharing data, the industry will build a more comprehensive data than any one company could create alone,” he wrote.
Analysts have predicted that millions of jobs will be lost once self-driving cars replace truck, taxi and Uber drivers, reported Reuters. In September, the Obama administration proposed guidelines for the development of self-driving cars in a 15-point “safety assessment”.
Other than Apple, Ford Motor, Volkswagen AG, Google, Tesla Motors and General Motors are also working on developing self-driving cars.
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