To date, China's self-driving road test efforts have lagged behind other regions. The California Vehicle Administration (DMV) says 64 companies have been granted licenses for road tests with a human in the passenger seat, with former Google self-driving project Waymo the sole company in the state permitted to test without a human in the vehicle. Waymo has completed 2.34 million km of California road tests, followed by GM Cruise's 1.33 million km and others such as Pony.ai, It's not surprising that California is a world leader in self-driving road testing, considering the large number of AI companies located in the state. But a recent report suggests China has picked up speed, with Beijing emerging as a new self-driving vehicle hot spot.

Ohio's toll road, a heavily traveled connector between the East Coast and Chicago, is moving closer to allowing the testing of self-driving vehicles. Testing is likely to begin within 12 months, and possibly before the end of the year, the Ohio Turnpike's executive director told The Associated Press. Officials overseeing the roadway have spent more than a year looking at the possibilities, said Randy Cole, the turnpike's director. Vehicles drive along the Ohio Turnpike in Strongsville, Ohio: Officials plan to allow self driving cars to use the route before the end of the year in a bid to teach them how to drive in bad weather. As autonomous vehicle technology improves, it's easy to imagine a world where these vehicles have no need for a human operator which would have a huge impact on those who driving for a living.

FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2011, file photo, vehicles drive along the Ohio Turnpike in Strongsville, Ohio. Ohio Turnpike Executive Director Randy Cole tells The Associated Press that testing of self-driving vehicles could begin on the toll road in late 2016 or in 2017. Cole says the route that takes Interstate 80 from Pennsylvania to Indiana is set up well for testing autonomous vehicles because it already has a fiber network along the entire roadway.