Apple has given the world a library of devices that have since become household names, many of which we use daily. There are the iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro and AirPods; but if you think of Apple, Car is not the first word that came to mind. That may soon change, as recent news has given new life to more than ten years of rumors about Apple’s attempt at an electric car. Here’s all we know so far, along with the winding path of a backstory that has brought us to this point.
Apple’s attempt at an electric car
Tech titan Apple may be stepping a little out of its comfort zone – okay, far out of its comfort zone – in an attempt to create an electric car, but if any business has the means and cash flow to achieve such a high goal, would be Apple near the top of most people’s lists. While recent updates have fueled speculation among Apple and EV fans, this story remains a work in progress and started much longer ago than you might think.
The Apple Car saga dates back to 2007. Apple executives rejected the idea of an electric car, but decided to focus all resources instead on developing a new type of smartphone called the iPhone. It seems like it was decided to bear fruit, but even a year later, Steve Jobs brainstormed on how Apple could develop its own car.
From there, the rumor and insinuations slowly disappeared into the shadow of Apple’s headliner electronics – products that were significantly smaller and cheaper than a vehicle. That is until 2015, when a report revealed that Apple had not given up on its car dream.
Apple Autonomous Management
After suspicious mini-pickups with cameras on top of San Francisco were linked to leases by Apple, the rumor mill reopened its doors for business. In the reports at the time, it was said that an Apple employee revealed that the technology giant had a project that would ‘give Tesla a chance’. This news came shortly after reports of a war between Apple and Tesla to strip each other’s employees. Tesla CEO Elon Musk so boldly called Apple a “Tesla Cemetery” because of the complex and meticulous process of developing and manufacturing vehicles he experienced firsthand.
Musk will continue to criticize the technology giant, claiming that Apple’s plans to build an electric car are “an open secret”. He further said that it is difficult to keep a project secret if you have to hire 1,000 engineers (some of whom are former Tesla alum).
What’s particularly funny about Apple’s past five years is the recent revelation by Elon Musk that he tried to sell Tesla to Apple for 1/10 of its current value, and that CEO Tim Cook, not even the meeting would not take.
Now Tesla is the world’s most valuable carmaker by market capitalization, with only small details beginning to emerge about Apple’s potential electric car project, nicknamed “Project Titan.”
Project Titan
In early 2016, it was reported that Apple had registered a number of different domain names, indicating that the vehicle program is ‘Project Titan’. Furthermore, it is suspected that Apple Project Titan operates under a shell company called SixtyEight Research in Sunnyvale California. The company bought a variety of real estate in the area, which sparked speculation as the area checked many boxes for building a car. This move, coupled with the hiring of several drivers and engineers from rival automakers, has supported a rumor that Apple was planning to debut an electric car.
From there, the trail got cold again – or at least became foggy about the overall purpose of the project. Shortly afterwards, rumors began that Project Titan had abandoned the development of its own electric car and instead focused on autonomous driving. The plan would allow Apple to develop the self-driving technology, while relying on a separate carmaker to build the vessels themselves.
This appears to be Apple’s way of action in the automated game, until early 2019 when it fired 200 workers from the autonomous vehicle division. Apple calls the move “staff restructuring” and still predicted a high level of confidence in its program. Later that year, several more of Apple’s self-driving vehicles were spotted and fitted with new cameras, sensors and LiDAR.
Project Titan today
Now it looks like Project Titan has turned around again. According to a report by Reuters late 2020, Apple plans to continue developing its autonomous driving technology, with plans to manufacture its own passenger vehicle to showcase it by 2024. So it looks like we’ve got a recent nod for an Apple Car at work, and a new timeline for when the world can see it. If even up to this point it is not clear from the tortuous history of this project Reutersrecent news should have an asterisk:
There is still a chance that Apple will decide to reduce the efforts to an autonomous driving system that will be integrated in a car manufactured by a traditional car manufacturer, rather than the iPhone manufacturer a car from Apple sold, one of the people said. .
Rumors of Apple Car features
Since Apple unexpectedly refused to respond to Reuters’ recent report, it may be a while before the tech world (or the whole world for that matter) learns what Apple is really up to for its own car. For now, we only know little things that indicate what Apple is developing, and how it might fit into a future EV.
One thing that matters most, whether Apple manufactures or contracts its own vehicle, is the focus on autonomous driving. Current competitor (but not yet a competitor?) Tesla has recently made great strides with the ability to self-drive among its fleet of electric vehicles. All signs point to FSD as the future of vehicles, whether it is better suited for individual owners, or for public transport and driving stocks such as autonomous taxis.
Apple has not yet shown its hand on what space they have honed, so it could be both … or it could not be one. For now, bet that Apple will continue to focus on sharpening the autonomous AI technology it has, and decide from there what exactly to do with it.
Apple batteries
Apple and EV fans can also look forward to a new battery design … whatever that entails. The Reuters report revealed:
At the heart of Apple’s strategy is a new battery design that reduces the cost of batteries “radical” can reduce and increase the vehicle’s range, according to a third person who saw Apple’s battery design.
Apple did not want to comment on what this supposed new design will offer, so it’s understandably hard to get excited about. This fall, Tesla began manufacturing its own powerful battery cells in hopes of surpassing the current world production capacity of lithium-ion battery cells. It’s hard to guess where Apple is on its battery timeline, based on a third-party report, but they’s likely to overtake Tesla. Elon had some thoughts on the matter:
Apple release date for electric cars?
As already mentioned, Apple hopes to have some kind of Apple vehicle by 2024. Whether the car was fully designed and manufactured by Apple, or commissioned by another car manufacturer, remains to be confirmed.
In this regard, recent rumors have begun to swell further around the potential release of Apple Car. An Apple analyst recently called the current market ‘too bullish’, and speculated drivers may not see Apple’s premiere vehicle until 2028. Ideally, Apple comes up with its own news and can confirm some of the above speculation, but for now we will all have to wait until another leaky time sends the masses in a new direction. We have been waiting thirteen years for concrete answers, what are some more?
Keep it locked on 9to5Mac and Electrek, then we’ll keep you up to date.
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