Autonomous vehicle (AV) testing in California has seen significant shifts over the past decade, with Waymo and Cruise emerging as early leaders. According to data published yearly by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) since 2015, these companies accounted for over 78% of the 32 million miles driven through 2024.
However, the landscape is changing. While drivered AV test miles grew to 5.8 million in 2023, they declined to 3.9 million in 2024. This decrease is attributed to leading companies shifting towards driverless testing and robotaxi services. After Cruise lost its driverless testing permits in late 2023, driverless AV miles dropped in 2024 to 0.55 million miles.
Waymo has been the leader in drivered AV miles every year except 2020, with Zoox narrowing the gap in 2024. In total AV miles, Waymo leads with over 4.8 million miles in 2023, declining to 2.9 million in 2024. Zoox is steadily growing, reaching nearly one million miles in 2024.
Notably, Chinese AV companies, while initially strong, have seen a decline in driverless testing since 2021, their performance has dropped each year with only WeRide testing driverless AVs in 2024 with less than 500 miles. Disengagement data, which tracks instances requiring human intervention, is difficult to interpret due to high rates from companies just starting AV testing.
As AV testing expands to other states, California’s role remains pivotal. For a comprehensive analysis of the data and trends, read the full article on EETimes.com.
