Uber to Restart AV Testing in Frisco

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

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6th February 2020

Uber is set to restart real-world autonomous testing less than two years after its engineers were deemed culpable in the death of a pedestrian in Arizona.

The Californian Department of Motor Vehicles has granted the organization a licence to trial its AVs on public highways despite the criticism it faced over its employees’ actions disabling anti-collision technology on its Volvo XC90 test mule that led to the death of a woman pushing a bicycle across a four lane carriageway in Phoenix. Now the company says it is considering restarting testing near its headquarters in San Francisco, suspended since the fatality in 2018.

The company shut down its testing on public roads after the accident in four locations, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto, but has been testing AVs in Pittsburgh after restarting its trials within just a few months. On top of its Californian activities, the outfit is also expected to restart testing in Washington D.C. within the coming months.

California has issued AV testing licences to 66 companies, all of whom must employ a human safety pilot to monitor the vehicles’ actions constantly during the road trips.

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_