The California Department of Motor Vehicles recently granted Argo AI permission to test self-driving cars in the Golden State. According to this initial agreement, Argo AI is only allowed to test one self-driving car in the Bay Area.
Leaders at Argo AI said they will carry out their tests in the Palo Alto area. With this new permit, Argo AI is now testing its vehicles in five cities across the USA.
Founded by former Google and Uber employees, Argo AI made headlines in 2017 when Ford decided to invest $1 billion in the company. Although Argo AI is officially an independent company, Ford executives are allowed to sit-in on the company’s meetings.
Ford is currently working with Argo AI to create a self-driving taxi service that should launch in 2021. Argo AI and Ford are now testing these autonomous delivery vehicles in Miami and the nation’s capital. Dozens of Argo AI vehicles are also being tested in Dearborn and Pittsburgh.
California DMV did not say whether Argo AI will be testing vehicles for Ford’s new plan or strictly for research & development. Earlier in the year, however, Ford did announce it would expand its taxi program to at least one more city.
Executives at Argo AI say they are excited to start testing their vehicles in the Bay Area. This company now expects to have at least 100 of its autonomous cars on American streets before 2020.
With the addition of Argo AI, California now has 62 vehicles being tested on its roads. To see a full list of permit holders, please check out this CA DMV webpage.
To learn more about Argo AI’s projects, be sure to visit the company’s website at https://www.argo.ai/.