Uber dispatches driverless cars to Arizona

The company was forced to shut down the public test since the DMV had started revoking registrations for the 16 retrofitted hybrid vehicles involved in the tests.

Uber’s defiance sparked a week-long public standoff between the company and state regulators, prompting threats of legal action from the DMV and the state attorney general.

In a statement, Gov. Doug Ducey said Uber’s decision to move its self-driving cars to Arizona was due to California’s burdensome regulations.

California defines autonomous vehicles as one that has the capability of “operating or driving without the active physical control or monitoring of a natural person”. The autonomous vehicle testing application process is simple and straightforward. The DMV said Uber can seek a permit that other companies have been granted to continue its testing. Then the DMV yanked the cars’ standard registrations because they weren’t specifically issued for test vehicles.

For a little over a week, the ride-sharing company also had a pilot program in San Francisco, the city where the company was founded. We are committed to assisting Uber in their efforts to innovate and advance this ground-breaking technology. That requirement is a point of contention between Uber and California.

Where Uber will choose to operate its self-driving cars next remains to be seen, but the likelihood of being in California may not be favorable, as anywhere in the state it will need to apply for a permit.

In characteristic fashion, Uber said it would keep the cars on the road. By 2030, some 400 million people will rely on autonomous cars, according to a report from ABI Research, and many of them may be owned by companies, rather than individuals or families.

In the meeting, the attorney general’s office threatened to sue Uber but the DMV took the matter into their discretion and just canceled the licenses of its 16 test vehicles.

If Uber had gotten a permit, the regulator would have provided the go-ahead to the self-driving trial, the DMV said.

The state officials made it very clear that they will support Uber in acquiring the permits should it decide to apply, but the company acted like a spoiled child and refused to comply with the laws. He issued a short message Thursday regarding Uber. Since September, it has also been testing the program in Pittsburgh.

Uber came under fire recently when footage emerged of one of its San Francisco autonomous cars driving straight through a red light on the very first day of service.