A report by website Appleinsider says Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) representatives met with California Department of Motor Vehicles officials last month to talk about the company's ongoing autonomous car program.
Appleinsider cites documents acquired by macReports through a public information request that show at least six California DMV officials, including Director Jean Shiomoto, were present at a meeting that took place April 2 at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California.
Also at the meeting, according to the report, was Apple director of product integrity Steve Kenner, whom Appleinsider described as "an executive known to have close ties with Apple's autonomous vehicle project." The report said Kenner wrote a letter in 2016 to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposing a policy update that would grant automotive industry newcomers opportunities to test their self-driving vehicles on public roads.
The specifics of the meeting are unknown. However, Apple has been looking to certify more drivers to test autonomous vehicles on California roads, according to the report.
Appleinsider said Apple's Autonomous Vehicle Tester (AVT) Program is an extension of efforts to build a branded self-driving car. Known as "Project Titan," the initiative dates back to at least 2015, but was scuttled in 2016 after hitting a number of roadblocks.
Apple since has refocused efforts on the less ambitious goal of developing self-driving software and supporting hardware that might be used in conjunction with third-party platforms, according to Appleinsider.