Drive.ai

Drive.ai

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Artificial intelligence, Autonomous vehicles
Founded	2015
Founder	Graduate students from Stanford's AI Lab within Andrew Ng's research group
Fate	Acquired by Apple Inc. in June 2019
Headquarters	Mountain View, California , United States
Area served	United States (California, Texas), Singapore (planned)
Key people	Andrew Ng (board member)
Products	Autonomous driving retrofit kits, autonomous vehicle services
Parent	Apple Inc.

Drive.ai, a division of Apple Inc., is a U.S.-based tech firm located in Mountain View, California that specializes in artificial intelligence applied to autonomous driving systems. The company has successfully demonstrated fully driverless operation with only a safety operator present in the passenger seat. By October 2022, Drive.ai had secured nearly $77 million in investment capital. Its innovations allow for converting conventional vehicles into autonomous ones through retrofit solutions.

In May 2018, Drive.ai initiated a pilot project in Frisco, Texas, providing the state's inaugural public self-driving passenger service. Prior to its acquisition, by June 2019, Apple purchased Drive.ai to contribute expertise to its automotive initiative known as Project Titan.

History

Established in 2015 by graduate students from Stanford's AI Lab within Andrew Ng's research group, Drive.ai initially concentrated on creating retrofit kits that enabled autonomous functionality for existing automobiles. The company exited stealth mode in August 2016, having raised $12 million and becoming California’s 13th licensed entity authorized to test driverless vehicles on public roads. Early backers included Northern Light Venture Capital, Oriza Ventures, and InnoSpring Seed Fund.

In June 2017, Drive.ai closed a $50 million Series B round led by New Enterprise Associates, with participation from GGV Capital and previous investors. That same month, Andrew Ng joined the company's board of directors. Concurrently, Drive.ai collaborated with Lyft to conduct pilot programs offering self-driving rides within San Francisco utilizing its test fleet.

September 2017 saw Drive.ai secure an additional $15 million investment, including funds from Southeast Asian ride-hailing company Grab, supporting ambitions to expand operations into Singapore.

The May 2018 pilot in Frisco marked Drive.ai’s first public launch in Texas, initially deploying vehicles with safety drivers before moving toward remotely supervised driverless service. This program utilized an app-based ride-hailing system operating within a designated zone covering retail outlets, entertainment venues, and office buildings.

By October 2018, Drive.ai extended its autonomous passenger service to Arlington, Texas, deploying three vehicles across multiple routes including the area around AT&T Stadium. This expansion made it the first company to generate revenue through autonomous vehicle services.

Technology

Drive.ai’s test fleet includes models such as the Lincoln MKZ, an Audi A4, and several Nissan NV200 vans operating in California.

In February 2017, Drive.ai published video footage showing a self-driving Lincoln MKZ navigating the streets of Mountain View, California at night during rain—demonstrating early-stage autonomous driving under challenging weather conditions.

By May 2018, the company showcased an orange Nissan NV200 maneuvering through Frisco’s roadways, including complex intersections and traffic circles. This demonstration highlighted the vehicle’s sensor arrays and camera systems successfully detecting and responding to road users even with low-angle sunlight interference. The system’s object recognition capabilities allow safe navigation around cars, pedestrians, and cyclists.

To improve interaction with pedestrians, Drive.ai equips its vehicles with external digital displays mounted on the hood, rear, and sides that communicate messages such as "Passengers Entering/Exiting" or "Waiting for You to Cross."

Additionally, Drive.ai gathers route information used to generate detailed three-dimensional high-definition maps that support its autonomous driving technology.