At the time, the DMV said publicly what emails obtained by The Verge show it had been saying to Uber for months privately: The state will help expedite the application process so you can proceed with autonomous vehicle testing.
The company had maintained, both in its behind-the-scenes back-and-forth with the DMV and its public statements when the San Francisco pilot started, that its vehicles did not meet the state's definition of "autonomous."
When it pulled the cars off the streets, Uber said in a statement that the company was "100 percent committed to California and will be redoubling our efforts to develop statewide rules."
An Uber spokesperson said in an email Friday the company is working with the DMV to submit an autonomous vehicle application following the agency's reinstating registrations for two self-driving cars that had been parked in San Francisco since December. Those vehicles are now being driven manually, the company says, reportedly as part of a mapping project.
The spokesperson said Uber plans to resume operating autonomous vehicles in the city, but doesn't have a firm timeline for their return to public streets.
The Department of Motor Vehicles said via email: "Uber hasn't formally submitted their autonomous vehicle tester program application, but just as we would with any other manufacturer, the DMV is providing assistance with the steps necessary to apply for and receive a test permit."
The DMV has approved 23 companies -- ranging from major automakers to Nvidia, best known for its graphics processing hardware -- to conduct autonomous vehicle testing in the state.
