Amazon is testing a fleet of robotaxis on public roads in California, using employees as passengers, as the tech behemoth moves closer to a commercial service for the general public. The online retailer has been aggressively expanding into self-driving technology and bought the self-driving startup Zoox for $1.3bn in 2020. A test conducted on 11 February saw the robotaxis successfully drive between two Zoox buildings a mile apart at its headquarters in Foster City, California. It was part of the launch of a no-cost employee shuttle service that will also help the company refine its technology. Zoox's robotaxi – built as a fully autonomous vehicle from scratch rather than retrofitting existing cars for self-driving – comes without a steering wheel or pedals and has room for four passengers, with two facing each other.

Five years to the day after I criticized Uber for testing its self-proclaimed "self-driving" vehicles on California roads without complying with the testing requirements of California's automated driving law, I find myself criticizing Tesla for testing its self-proclaimed "full self-driving" vehicles on California roads without complying with the testing requirements of California's automated driving law. As I emphasized in 2016, California's rules for "autonomous technology" necessarily apply to inchoate automated driving systems that, in the interest of safety, still use human drivers during on-road testing. "Autonomous vehicles testing with a driver" may be an oxymoron, but as a matter of legislative intent it cannot be a null set. There is even a way to mortar the longstanding linguistic loophole in California's legislation: Automated driving systems undergoing development arguably have the "capability to drive a vehicle without the active physical control or monitoring by a human operator" even though they do not yet have the demonstrated capability to do so safely. When supervised by that (adult) human driver, these nascent systems function like the advanced driver assistance features available in many vehicles today: They merely work unless and until they don't.

Get ready to see mysteriously vacant cars roaming around California streets. The state DMV has granted Waymo a permit to test fully driverless vehicles (not even an observer) on public roads, making it the first company in the state to receive permission. The self-driving vehicles will travel around parts of Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale. Initial rides will carry Waymo employees, but the company eventually plans to offer trips to the general public like it did in Arizona. The permit is relatively flexible.

Apple is still extremely secretive about its self driving car plans - but new figures from the DMV have revealed just how advanced they are. The new figures, obtained by MacReports, show Apple has 55 vehicles and 83 drivers under its permit to test autonomous vehicles. This makes is the second highest permit holder, with more cars on the road that Waymo and Tesla, with only GM having more with 104. The new figures, obtained by MacReports, show Apple has 55 vehicles and 83 drivers under its permit to test autonomous vehicles. This makes is the second highest permit holder, with more cars on the road that Waymo and Tesla, with only GM having more with 104.

At the beginning of the year, efforts to put driverless cars on California's streets looked like they were careening. Uber had defied state officials by failing to get permits to test its technology and then the company shipped its cars to Arizona to test them there. After four years of trying, regulators were still trying to write rules for testing cars without anyone in the driver's seat. Lawmakers and tech industry representatives worried that California was losing its grip on innovation in a sector primed for growth. Now, after this year's release of guidelines from the state Department of Motor Vehicles, the mood has changed.

That doesn't mean you'll be able to buy a completely driverless car next year, or even hitch a ride in one. The technology is still being developed. The driverless cars that may begin appearing will mostly be test vehicles. The news came Wednesday, when the state Department of Motor Vehicles proposed a new set of streamlined regulations along with a 15-day public comment period. The regulations are expected to be set by the end of the year and approved by the DMV early next year.

While technology firms rush to put self driving cars on the roads, a new study has revealed one problem - people could be too scared to get in them. A new report from AAA found that three-quarters of Americans reported feeling afraid to ride in a self-driving car, while and only 10 percent said that they'd feel safer sharing the roads with driverless vehicles. However, it also discovered 59% were keen to have some self driving technology in their next vehicle. The AAA report said 59% of drivers were, however, keen to have some self driving technology in next vehicle, although it found just 10% said they'd feel safer sharing roads with driverless cars'A great race towards autonomy is underway and companies are vying to introduce the first driverless cars to our roadways,' said Greg Brannon, AAA's director of Automotive Engineering and Industry Relations. 'However, while U.S. drivers are eager to buy vehicles equipped with autonomous technology, they continue to fear a fully self-driving vehicle.'

Cars with no steering wheel, no pedals and nobody at all inside could be driving themselves on California roads by the end of the year, under proposed new state rules that would give a powerful boost to the fast-developing technology. For the past several years, tech companies and automakers have been testing self-driving cars on the open road in California. But regulators insisted that those vehicles have steering wheels, foot controls and human backup drivers who could take over in an emergency. On Friday, the state department of motor vehicles proposed regulations that would open the way for truly driverless cars. Under the rules, road-testing of such vehicles could begin by the end of 2017, and a limited number could become available to customers as early as 2018 – provided the federal government gives the necessary permission.

Cars with no steering wheel, no pedals and nobody at all inside could be driving themselves on California roads by the end of the year, under proposed new state rules that would give a powerful boost to the fast-developing technology. For the past several years, tech companies and automakers have been testing self-driving cars on the open road in California. But regulators insisted that those vehicles have steering wheels, foot controls and human backup drivers who could take over in an emergency. On Friday, the state Department of Motor Vehicles proposed regulations that would open the way for truly driverless cars. Under the rules, road-testing of such vehicles could begin by the end of 2017, and a limited number could become available to customers as early as 2018 -- provided the federal government gives the necessary permission.

Cars with no steering wheel, no pedals and nobody at all inside could be driving themselves on California roads by the end of the year, under proposed new rules that would give a powerful boost to the technology from the nation's most populous state. For the past several years, tech companies and automakers have been testing self-driving cars on California's roads. But regulators insisted that those vehicles have steering wheels, foot controls and human backup drivers who could take over in an emergency. Under the rules, testing of such cars could begin by the end of 2017, and a limited number could become available to customers as early as 2018 - provided the federal government gives the necessary permission. Under the rules, testing of truly driverless cars could begin by the end of 2017.