$Apple Inc(AAPL.US)$ now has 69 self-driving test cars and 92 drivers in California, far more than $Tesla, Inc.(TSLA.US)$.
What Happened: Apple has added one more self-driving car and 16 more drivers since May, according to a report by macReports that cited figures from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Apple has the third-largest fleet of autonomous test cars in California behind $Alphabet Inc-CL C(GOOG.US)$ self-driving unit Waymo and $General Motors Co(GM.US)$-backed Cruise.
However, the number of drivers is still down significantly from October last year when Apple had 154 driver permits, the report added.
In comparison, Tesla had 22 self-driving cars and 86 drivers in California, as at the end of July.
The report also noted that Apple has not yet applied for a driverless permit for its autonomous vehicles.
Why It Matters: The data gathered from Apple’s fleet of self-driving vehicles could help the tech giant’s Apple Car project.
The project was in incubation for a while, but rumors about Apple accelerating its efforts on the project have been floating around since last year.
Several potential partners were reported, but Apple has remained tightlipped about its foray into the crowded EV field. Over time, rumors also suggested Apple has scaled down its plan to build a full-fledged car and is now looking at developing an underlying self-driving car system.
It was reported in July that Apple is looking to manufacture batteries for the Apple Car in the U.S.
Price Action: Apple shares closed almost 1.3% higher in Tuesday’s trading at $147.36.