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Tech giants to use rentals in self-driving tests

Lauren Kate Rawlins
By Lauren Kate Rawlins, ITWeb digital and innovation contributor.
Johannesburg, 27 Jun 2017
Apple and Alphabet will start testing fleets of self-driving cars.
Apple and Alphabet will start testing fleets of self-driving cars.

Apple is leasing a fleet of cars from Hertz Global to test self-driving technology.

Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company is not about to become an automaker just yet, but has confirmed it is developing technology to go into autonomous vehicles.

In April, Apple secured a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California. It was confirmed by the regional department of motor vehicles that the company was allowed six drivers to test three cars - all 2015 Lexus RX450h models.

According to a report by Bloomberg, the documents released recently by the California department of motor vehicles show Apple is leasing the vehicles from Hertz's Donlen fleet-management unit.

Apple has not commented on the partnership.

Meanwhile, rival company Alphabet's self-driving car unit Waymo announced a multi-year agreement with Avis Budget Group yesterday. The contract states the car rental company will manage Waymo's growing fleet of autonomous vehicles.

In a statement, the car rental company says the collaboration will also see Avis support Waymo's early rider programme, which allows selected members of the public to take rides in self-driving cars in Phoenix, Arizona.

"With members of the public using our growing fleet of self-driving cars, our vehicles need standard maintenance and cleaning so they're ready for our riders at any time of the day or night," says John Krafcik, Waymo CEO.

Krafcik hinted the company would extend its self-driving public test outside of Arizona by noting Avis has thousands of locations around the world, and that: "Avis Budget Group can help us bring our technology to more people, in more places."

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