DeepRoute to Begin Testing Self-Driving Vehicles in California

DeepRoute, an international self-driving vehicle startup, recently announced it has received an Autonomous Vehicle Testing (AVT) permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The permit reportedly enables DeepRoute to test its autonomous vehicle fleet under the supervision of experienced safety operators, advancing the company in the competitive race with Silicon Valley rivals to bring self-driving vehicles to the public.

The company said it will begin test drives in the Silicon Valley area with its L4 Full-stack Self-Driving System which allows passengers to travel from point A to point B.

The company said its initial fleet of autonomous vehicles in California will help to reinforce the vehicles safety on the roads, with a focus on improving DeepRoute's early sensor fusion perception technology, known as Early Fusion. This technology is designed to perform more accurate interpretations of the vehicle's surroundings. Another area of test focus will be the company's planning algorithm, which plans time to turn, selects the lane, makes decisions at crossroads, and achieves other driving behaviors.

“This is an exciting step in our team's progress to obtaining a fully autonomous fleet of vehicles in California,” said Shuang Gao, COO, 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 their ongoing effort to establish global vehicle autonomy, the company is also partnered with a Chinese Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to provide robo-taxi services during an international sporting event in October, 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, Inc. Per ATV requirements, all self-driving vehicle tests must be conducted by trained safety operators.