5 companies are testing 55 self-driving cars in Pittsburgh

In early March, Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto signed an executive order mandating that firms testing self-driving vehicles submit materials outlining their testing methods every six months to the city's newly formed Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI). Findings from the first of these were quietly published this week, compiled in a survey ("Self-Driving Vehicle Testing in Pittsburgh Summary of Findings") to be issued once a year. According to the report, five companies -- Aptiv, Argo AI, Aurora, Carnegie Mellon University, and Uber -- are testing 55 driverless cars in 32 of Pittsburgh's neighborhoods and suburbs, with the greatest concentration in the city's Strip District and Lower Lawrenceville. The test vehicles range from modified BMW 540is and Chrysler Pacifica PHEVs to Ford Fusion Hybrids, Lincoln MKZs, Cadillac SRXs, and Volvo XC90s, all of which contain no fewer than five disengagement mechanisms including buttons in the consoles and steering wheels. Most of the cars fall under the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)'s level 4 designation, meaning that they're capable of performing all driving functions autonomously under certain conditions, and they drive on public roads mostly during weekdays (both during the day and at night) with occasional testing on weekends "only during favorable weather conditions."