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The
California Department of Motor Vehicles on Wednesday revoked the
registration of 16 cars in Uber's self-driving fleet, which the
regulator said lacked the proper permits.
Arizona, however, does not require any special permits for
self-driving cars, according to the state Department of
Transportation. Autonomous vehicles have the same registration
requirements as any other car.
Uber's self-driving program had been running in San Francisco
for just a week, and all the while the company was embroiled in
a dispute with the state DMV and attorney general. Both
threatened legal action if Uber did not remove its self-driving
cars from the road, which the company ultimately did on
Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, Uber loaded its cars onto long-haul trucks
belonging to Otto - a self-driving truck company Uber acquired
in August.
"Our cars departed for Arizona this morning by truck," an Uber
spokeswoman said in a written statement. "We'll be expanding our
self-driving pilot there in the next few weeks."
San Francisco had been selected as Uber's second testing ground
for its self-driving cars after Pittsburgh, but the company
immediately faced a backlash from the DMV, which requires that
any company testing autonomous vehicles on public roads receive
a permit.
But Uber refused to apply for the permit, arguing that state
regulations do not apply to its cars, which require constant
monitoring and interference by a person in the vehicle.
California defines autonomous vehicles as having the capability
to drive "without the active physical control or monitoring of a
natural person."
Amid the fray, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey invited Uber to bring
its cars to his state.
"Arizona welcomes Uber self-driving cars with open arms and wide
open roads," Ducey said in a statement released Thursday. "While
California puts the brakes on innovation and change with more
bureaucracy and more regulation, Arizona is paving the way for
new technology and new businesses."
Alphabet Inc's autonomous car division Waymo is also testing in
Arizona.
(Reporting by Heather Somerville and Alexandria Sage in San
Francisco; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Cynthia Osterman)
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