If there was any remaining doubt about whether Apple Inc. is truly looking to enter the auto market, it was all but dispelled last week.

Word came out on Friday that the technology giant has received regulatory permission to test self-driving vehicles in California. The news was revealed by an entry on the website of the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles that prompted several media inquiries. In response, a DMV spokesperson told the Financial Times that the license covers three 2015 Lexus RX450h hybrids and six drivers.

This appears to confirm reports that the company has refocused its efforts from designing its own car to “building out the underlying technology for an autonomous vehicle.” According to unnamed insiders who spoke with the The New York Times last year, Apple laid off dozens of staffers as part of the shakeup. Project Titan, as the initiative is commonly referred to, reportedly employed about 1,000 employees at the time of the move.

Besides providing more evidence that the project is still underway, the DMV license also represents something of an achievement for Apple. Securing approval to test its vehicles was likely no small task given that regulators have recently been given reason to be wary about allowing more self-driving cars on the road.

Uber Technologies Inc., one of the 29 other companies cleared by the California DMV to test autonomous vehicles, suspended its pilot program last month after crashing a car in Arizona. Tesla Inc. has also received negative publicity in recent weeks due to allegations about its Autopilot software malfunctioning, but regulators aren’t particularly alarmed. In fact, an investigation by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded last month that the autonomous navigation software reduces the risk of accidents by nearly 40 percent.

Image: Apple