Tech companies developing self-driving vehicle technology have tapped the brakes on testing on California’s public roads, according to new data from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
The agency reported Friday a total of 4.5 million autonomous vehicle test miles were logged in 2024, a 50% drop from the previous year. That figure covers two kinds of permits: autonomous vehicles with human safety drivers behind the wheel and those that allow for driverless testing.
The decline is more pronounced under the driverless testing category, according to DMV, the agency that regulates autonomous vehicle testing in the state. Records show driverless testing fell 83% from 3.26 million miles in 2023 to just 552,895 miles last year.
The DMV also released its annual disengagement reports, which details instances where human drivers had to take over control due to technology failures or safety concerns. These reports have been controversial in the past because companies use varying standards, making it impossible to compare the results or rate the proficiency of the autonomous vehicles technology.
The new figures reflect an industry with few players, Waymo’s transition to commercial robotaxi operator, and the suspension, and ultimate shuttering, of Cruise by its parent company GM.
Cruise and Waymo have historically reported the highest testing miles. For instance, Cruise logged 2.6 million test miles in 2023 until the DMV suspended its permits in October of that year. The company never restarted testing in California. Waymo has shifted away from testing as it ramps up commercial operations in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
There has been a noticeable decline over the past three years in new permits issued by the DMV for testing vehicles with a human driver. In 2022, four permits were issued. The following year, two new permits were granted. The DMV gave just one new permit in 2024.
Today, just 31 companies hold permits for testing with a safety driver — and of those, just 11 actually conducted public road testing in 2024. Nine companies that submitted reports for the 2023-2024 period have ceased testing and withdrawn from the program, according to the DMV. Tesla, for instance, did not log any autonomous miles, per the report.
Six companies, including AutoX, Nuro, WeRide, Waymo, and Zoox are approved for driverless testing. Only Mercedes-Benz (which has an advanced driver assistance system that allows hands-free, eyes-off driving on some highways), Nuro, and Waymo have permits that allow commercial operations.
This lies in contrast to the heady and hyped days of autonomous vehicles when venture funds flowed and as many as 60 companies had permits to test so-called “drivered” autonomous vehicles. A period of consolidation swept through the nascent industry in 2019.
Today, fewer companies are willing to pour millions into the development of autonomous vehicle technology development. Although there are some recent outliers. Wayve raised $1 billion in May and Waymo raised $5.6 billion in November.
The result is a short list of active participants — with Waymo in front, in terms of testing and commercial miles. The upshot is a consolidated industry that lacks competition on the commercial front.
