The California Department of Motor Vehicles has granted access to Baidu to perform its test on autonomous vehicles without a driver behind the wheel. In 2016, the company had the authority to test its vehicles in California, but there had to be a backup drive seated in the car.
The upgrade means it can now conduct full driverless road tests using Lincoln MKZ and Chrysler Pacifica vehicles loaded with its self-driving technology within Sunnyvale in Santa Clara County.
Baidu is now the sixth company to secure a permit for driverless road testing in the state. The company had to prove to the California DMV that its technology capable of Level 4 or 5 autonomy. The Chinese tech giant will be allowed to conduct driverless tests on public roads during all times of the day and night unless there’s heavy fog or heavy rain.
Aside from California, the company also secured permission to deploy five fully functioning driverless vehicles on the public roads of Beijing.
TECH NEWS>>>>The Best Super Bowl TV Deals Available
