Introduction
The Apple Car is coming. Well, not yet. But the company is working on developing its own self-driving vehicle and it seems like we’ll be seeing the fruits of that effort soon enough. It’s been almost six years since Apple started Project Titan in 2014, and we’re still not sure what to expect from this mysterious vehicle other than its name: “Apple Car.” So let’s take a look at everything you need to know about Apple’s electric car project!
Apple is aiming to release its own autonomous, electric vehicle in 2024 or later.
Apple is aiming to release its own autonomous, electric vehicle in 2024 or later. The company’s car project has been rumored for years, but it seems that Apple has finally gotten serious about developing an automobile.
Apple reportedly has a team of about 700 employees working on Project Titan, which is reportedly led by former Tesla executive Bob Mansfield and includes engineers from Ford and Uber as well as other automotive companies. The company aims to make use of LiDAR sensors like those found in Tesla vehicles so that Apple’s self-driving capabilities are not limited by cameras alone and can see farther distances than other cars (and thus avoid collisions).
Apple is reportedly working on a LiDAR sensor akin to what’s found in Tesla’s vehicles to enable its self-driving capabilities.
Apple is reportedly working on a LiDAR sensor akin to what’s found in Tesla’s vehicles to enable its self-driving capabilities.
LiDAR stands for “light detection and ranging,” and it’s a key component of autonomous vehicles because it can detect objects and measure their distance from the car. The technology uses lasers that bounce off objects, which creates an image that shows how far away they are from you.
At one point, Apple hired over 5,000 engineers for its car project.
Apple has hired over 5,000 engineers for its car project. It’s reportedly working on a LiDAR sensor akin to what’s found in Tesla’s vehicles to enable its self-driving capabilities. “Apple is likely planning to unveil a prototype of its electric vehicle at some point in 2023,” according to Business Insider.
The company also confirmed that it would be introducing new features designed around autonomous driving at this year’s World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC), but there has been no word about which ones will debut first—or even if they’ll take place within the next few months!
An analyst report estimated that Apple would have to spend $4.2 billion annually on car manufacturing to have operations comparable to Tesla.
An analyst report estimated that Apple would have to spend $4.2 billion annually on car manufacturing to have operations comparable to Tesla. Apple’s electric car ambitions are still in their infancy, but the company has already purchased several pieces of real estate around Silicon Valley in California as well as Germany and China. In addition to investing heavily in battery technology and charging infrastructure, Apple has also hired engineers from Tesla (TSLA) who worked on its Model X SUV before leaving for another job at another company.
The self-driving software will likely debut before the Apple Car itself does.
The self-driving software will likely debut before the Apple Car itself does. While the technology is new and untested, it’s not hard to imagine that Apple could have some of this in place by 2023 or 2024.
The first step is to test it on other vehicles. When you’re building an autonomous car, you need software that can operate safely in other cars and on public roads as well. In addition to being able to move around autonomously without human control—something no existing technology can do yet—Apple plans on testing its self-driving system with fleets of vehicles so they can learn from each other’s mistakes.
It sounds like a pretty big deal: putting two million miles of testing onto one single vehicle would be impressive! But there are plenty more interesting things happening behind closed doors at Apple HQ right now than anyone knows about yet…
It’s possible that Apple will license its self-driving tech to car manufacturers rather than build a car from scratch.
It’s possible that Apple will license its self-driving tech to car manufacturers rather than build a car from scratch. This could mean that the company will partner with other popular manufacturers like Hyundai or BMW, or seek another option.
Apple’s self-driving software is likely to debut before the Apple Car itself does—if it ever does—because of this. While some brands like Mercedes-Benz have already been working on their own driverless cars for years, none are currently available for public purchase (and probably won’t be anytime soon). If you’re interested in buying an electric vehicle regardless of what type it is, make sure your next ride has enough batteries in order to keep going when your destination requires you not to stop at all!
The Apple Car is said to feature “breakthrough” battery technology that could be used in other devices like the iPhone and iPad.
The batteries are the most important part of an electric car, and they’re also the most expensive component. They need to be lightweight, powerful and last for a long time.
Battery technology is improving rapidly—and Apple could use its battery technology in other products like the iPhone and iPad.
Project Titan was kicked off in 2014 when Apple poached over 200 staff members from Tesla.
The project was codenamed “Project Titan”, and it was rumored to be an electric car, but this hasn’t been confirmed by Apple. However, it’s possible that the company may begin testing autonomous vehicles on public roads soon.
The latest rumors suggest that the company could unveil its own self-driving vehicle as early as 2023 or 2024—and if you’re an Apple user who loves cars but doesn’t want one of their phones (or a laptop), then this may be something worth looking into!
It’s possible that Apple could buy a pre-existing automaker like Nissan, Mitsubishi, or Renault.
It’s also possible that Apple could partner with an existing automaker such as BMW or Toyota to build its own factory. The company has already done this in the past: In 2016 it partnered with Panasonic to manufacture iPhones at their LCD plant in Japan; at the time of this writing (June 2018), this partnership has yet to yield any significant results for either entity.
The “Apple Electric Car” is coming in 2024 or later, but many details are still unknown.
- The “Apple Car” will reportedly be based on an updated version of the company’s current self-driving vehicle platform and will likely feature many of its features such as Siri and Maps integration. The company has also hired over 5,000 engineers for its self-driving project since August 2018 alone (the most recent figures available).
