Fully autonomous vehicles — without backup drivers — could be on California public roads by June or earlier, the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles said Wednesday as it unveiled a new version of proposed rules for self-driving cars.

The draft regulations add a requirement for companies testing self-driving cars to notify local authorities about where and when the testing will occur, but firms need not ask for permission, the DMV said in a conference call.

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With tech companies and car makers pushing hard to commercialize self-driving technology, fully autonomous cars will probably be in use for ride-sharing and parcel delivery within 18 months, said Peter Sweatman, principal at transportation consultancy Cavita. If those limited early rollouts are successful, the vehicles will be all over public roads by 2025, Sweatman predicted.

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The federal government, by offering only guidelines but no rules or mandatory safety standards specific to self-driving cars, is failing to ensure public safety, advocacy group Consumer Watchdog said Wednesday.

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