Ford Motor Co said on December 15 it secured a permit from California to begin testing its self-driving car on public roads from next year.
Ford, which will test its Ford Fusion Hybrid car, joins companies ranging from Alphabet Inc's Google to Volkswagen AG in testing the fast-growing self-driving technology.
Other carmakers already approved by California include Honda Motor Co Ltd, Daimler AG's, Mercedes Benz, Tesla Motors Inc, Nissan Motor Co Ltd and BMW AG.
California is one of a handful of states, along with Michigan, Florida and Nevada, that have passed legislation enabling testing of self-driving cars on public roads.
Google and other automotive manufacturers and suppliers have said the technology to build self-driving cars should be ready by 2020.