AV startup DeepRoute has received an Autonomous Vehicle Testing (AVT) permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The permit enables DeepRoute to test its autonomous vehicle fleet throughout the state under the supervision of experienced safety operators.
The company will begin testing in the Silicon Valley area with its Level 4 Full-stack Self-driving System. The initial tests will focus on further perfecting DeepRoute’s early sensor fusion perception technology, known as Early Fusion. This technology assists with more accurate interpretations of the vehicle’s surroundings. It will also test the company’s planning algorithm, which is able to safely and accurately plan the time to turn, select the lane, make decisions at crossroads, and achieve other driving behaviors more efficiently.
“This is an exciting step in our team’s progress to obtaining a fully autonomous fleet of vehicles in California,” said Shuang Gao, chief operating officer at DeepRoute. “Over the coming months, our fleet is expected to grow and allow our teams to further perfect our technologies and reinforce the safety of autonomous vehicles.”
In its ongoing effort to establish global vehicle autonomy, the company is also partnered with a Chinese OEM to provide
robotaxi services during an international sporting event in October 2019, in addition to cooperating with a Chinese ride-hailing company with an initial 100 vehicles for their test fleet.
DeepRoute joins 63 other active ATV permit holders in California, including high-profile contenders such as Tesla Motors, Bosch and Lyft.