Back in 2015, there were rumours and suspicions about Apple working on a car project and plans to enter the highly competitive automobile sector. In those days we did not know about Apple’s plan or we were not even sure whether it is just a rumour or a real thing. But as of 2021, it is loud and clear that Apple is working on their autonomous car.
It makes a lot of sense now than back in 2015 because,
- Now the automobile industry has changed a lot over a short span of time.
- In those days it was all about who got the bigger engine.
- We were not aware of the potential electric cars had.
- Humanity did not really see the need for autonomous cars until the pandemic.
Now that the policymakers, general consumers and automobile manufacturers being aware of the potential of electric cars and the requirement of autonomous cars, Apple’s electric car project gains importance more than ever.
Let’s look at some of the facts and figures about the Apple electric car project.
Project TITAN: What do they say now?
The rumour has been circulating in Silicon Valley for more than five years that Apple is secretly developing an electric self-driving car that could reach the road in the early 2020s but as we know it did not happen. After a Reuters storey citing unnamed insider sources claimed that the iPhone manufacturer was actively developing in-house battery technology for an electric car slated for a 2024 release, the automotive rumour began to gain momentum again.
Though we don’t have an official lead on the project code-named ‘TITAN’ yet, Apple CEO Tim Cook had explicitly expressed the companies stand on the autonomous industry.
In an interview with Kara Swisher, he said
“The autonomy itself is a core technology, in my view. If you sort of step back, the car, in a lot of ways, is a robot. An autonomous car is a robot. So there are lots of things you can do with autonomy. And we’ll see what Apple does,”
Tim Cook
He also added,
“We love to integrate hardware, software, and services, and find the intersection points of those because we think that’s where the magic occurs. And so that’s what we love to do. And we love to own the primary technology that’s around that.”
From the above statements, it is almost clear that they are working towards an autonomous car because an autonomous car is the perfect integration of hardware and software as he mentioned in his statement.
It is safe to assume that Apple is developing the software part of the car while the hardware will be from the current players in the market. Though it is quite difficult to develop a car from scratch for a mobile manufacturer, we can’t neglect that possibility as well because it’s Apple right?
Let us look at a few potential car manufacturers and tech companies with whom apple might strike a deal or perhaps already has one for developing their autonomous vehicle.
Potential Collaborations for Titan
Many rumours have surfaced in early 2021 claiming that Apple has entered into talks with well-known automated electronics manufacturers for components for an upcoming vehicle-related product and that Apple is also working to build a factory in the United States.
Hyundai
Apple’s first automotive chassis could be based on Hyundai’s E-GMP electric vehicle (BEV) architecture, which features up to two engines, a five-link rear suspension, an articulated drive axle, and battery cells with a range of more than 500 kilometres on a single charge.
Hyundai is the first on the list because,
- Hyundai and Kia have factories in the United States, in Alabama and Georgia, respectively.
- Their dedicated EV network will have a range of more than 500 kilometres (311 miles) and will be capable of charging car batteries up to 80% in 18 minutes.
- Apple expected to spend 4 trillion won ($3.6 billion) in Kia Motors, with Kia planning to build the Apple Car in its Georgia plant.
Other potential partners are,
- Nissan adds many aspects to the table that may be useful to Apple, though it seems a long shot there is a possibility for collaboration of the two.
- Apple now has a close relationship with Foxconn Technology Group. It has been the U.S. company’s main manufacturing partner for well over a decade. Foxconn unveiled the first electric vehicle chassis as well as a tech interface to assist automakers in bringing vehicles to market more quickly. By 2024, it also intends to release a solid-state battery.
Conclusion
Yes, I admit that this is a bit foggier than you expected but that’s all we know about it. I really don’t want to feed you with wrong or bogus information on anything and that’s something we don’t do at GetElecrticVehicle.com
Though we don’t know much about apples plan yet we certainly know that apple entering the EV and AV market will certainly bring new definitions and standards for the market as they did to the IT sector.