Faraday Future, a manufacturer of intelligent electric vehicles and mobility solutions, plans to test its self-driving electric vehicles on California roads later this year.

The company intends to build and sell self-driving electric vehicles in US by next year.

A spokesperson from the California Department of Motor Vehicles told Reuters that the China-backed, Los Angeles-based startup has secured an approval to test these vehicles on public roads.

Faraday expects to compete in the premium electric vehicles category.

"Faraday expects to compete in the premium electric vehicles category."

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Faraday has been testing its self-driving vehicles during the last year at private facilities.

Earlier, California had given approval to 13 companies to test their automated cars on its roads.

The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles also has given approval to Cruise Automation, which was acquired by General Motors earlier this year.

Other companies that received approvals include Google, Tesla, Volkswagen AG, Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz, Nissan Motor Co.