Apple Technology

Apple Car: Everything We Know So Far!

By Aly N
Published - July 29, 2022

Long-running rumors claim that Apple is actively engaged in several automobile initiatives that may eventually result in an “Apple Car.” The umbrella term “Project Titan” refers to the overall research effort. However, the phrase has been used to refer to various components and technologies. It primarily refers to self-driving vehicle systems and automobile design.

Several rumor cycles have been created around the “Apple Car.” Since its inception as a not-so-secret project named “Project Titan.” with sophisticated iPhone interfaces and intelligent features like Siri, the automobile would compete with Tesla in 2015. Later, it transformed into a unique infotainment system that Apple could sell to distributors like BMW. Tim Cook also confirmed the existence of the Apple Car project in a 2021 interview. We know that’s true if Apple’s CEO made it known in the media. As recently as the beginning of 2022, Apple has been in discussions with Volkswagen, Hyundai, Lucid Motors, and Canoo. Any prospective alliance between the tech behemoth and a manufacturer appears to have failed. It appears that Apple is now without an auto-partner.

The speculations eventually made a complete circle and led to the development of a fully autonomous car that requires little to no human input while being driven. Reports in late 2021 suggest that Apple may formally unveil the automobile project in 2022 and deploy it by 2025, according to several reliable sources. Apple admitted as much in 2021; thus, we can be assured that the corporation is engaged in an independent automobile project (known as Project Titan). The company has previously hired dozens of Tesla executives. The company also appears to be hiring for automobile development-related positions.

What Will You See Here?

Release Date

According to a 2015 rumor, Apple expected the vehicle to be “ready to launch” in 2019. However, it wasn’t apparent if it simply meant perfecting the design or getting it in front of customers. A report asserted that a 2021 release is far more plausible because Apple has had setbacks and team changes. It’s challenging to build an automobile from the ground up, so Apple will want to get it right before revealing anything to anyone.

The Apple Car is expected to debut between 2023 and 2025, according to Apple-focused analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TF International Securities, in August 2018. This indicates that it will still be a few years away. Apple analyst Mark Gurman sees 2025 as a likely year for the car’s introduction as of 2021. However, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo later stated that he thinks the earliest an Apple Car will be available for purchase is 2025 to 2027. Kuo stated that he wouldn’t be shocked to see the launch window pushed out to 2028 or later. Thus, we don’t know the exact date, but it will be around 2025-2027.

Design

According to insiders, “Project Titan’s” technology and design were still very much in flux, and Apple briefly considered basing its “Apple Car” on the BMW i3. Even though BMW and Daimler halted discussions with Apple about who would be in charge of the project and who would own the data, Apple and BMW have reportedly discussed a possible alliance. According to a German story, Apple had a hidden automobile lab in Berlin with 15 to 20 “top-class” employees focusing on things like “Apple Car” designs, manufacturing alliances, and sales/legislative challenges. The Magna Steyr division in Austria is one potential producer.

The general appearance of the car may provide several changes from existing vehicle design, according to patent applications, speculations, and conjecture. Wide-swinging doors that do not require a fixed central door pillar, resulting in even greater apertures, and Apple’s usage of clean lines in other products may all be used in the “Apple Car.” Thus, there would be less of a need for traditional seating arrangements, and the advent of self-driving technologies might further influence the vehicle’s design and lead to more unconventional layouts. The usage of AR and VR technologies, in-screen displays, privacy lighting, and original sunroof designs are just a few of the proposals.

Features & Self-Driving Ability

No Steering wheel & Pedals

Apple intends to create a car with a hands-free driving-focused cabin that does not have a steering wheel or pedals. Bloomberg claims that Apple has discussed a design resembling Canoo’s Lifestyle Vehicle. Instead of the traditional front and rear seats, passengers in this car sit along the sides of the vehicle. But since it would be handy to have on hand in an emergency, Apple might not be able to get rid of the steering wheel.
It’s feasible that Apple would exclude them as well. Apple is attempting to obtain exemptions from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to release a vehicle without a steering wheel or brake pedal. An automobile would operate with no steering wheel if foot pedals controlled acceleration and braking. It’s still unclear whether Apple’s ambitious design intentions will succeed, so it may look more like a conventional automobile.

Range

Although there isn’t much information available now about range, it is predicted that Apple’s vehicle will be electric and self-driving. Most modern EVs can travel at least 250 miles between charges thanks to regenerative braking, but some can go up to 400 miles, and even fewer, like Aptera, can go up to 1,000 miles.
One example of a high-end EV that could be equivalent to the Apple car is the Lucid Air, which advertises a range of up to 520 miles. They advertise it as the world’s longest-range electric automobile as of early 2022. Although the exact battery capacity of the Apple car is unknown, given the many years it will take them to produce something better than what is in current vehicles, we will likely see a low-end model with a range easily exceeding 500 miles.

Sensors

Apple has discussions with four vendors about developing LiDAR sensors that are less expensive, easier to mass produce, and smaller than the present LiDAR systems, which are too expensive and unwieldy to be used in cars that are produced in large quantities. Apple wishes to create a “revolutionary design” that may be used in an autonomous car in the future.

Charging

The Combined Charging System, a protocol for charging electric automobiles, could work with the Apple Car. The CCS is supported by organizations like Tesla, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Kia, Hyundai, and others. And if Apple Car users adopted this standard, they would be able to use the existing charging infrastructure.
Apple is working on a new battery architecture that may “radically” lower battery prices and extends cars’ driving range. By eliminating the pouches and modules that carry the battery materials. Apple is developing a “monocell” design to bulk up the individual battery cells and create more room inside the battery pack. More active material will be possible in a smaller container as a result.

Safety

Safety was a top priority when designing the Apple Car. Apple’s engineers are incorporating redundancy and backup systems to prevent driving system failures to make their vehicles safer than those produced by businesses like Tesla or Waymo. If Apple wants to make the car as safe as possible for drivers, it might not be viable to remove the steering wheel in the end.

Other Features

The automobile will probably function similarly, given the exclusive nature of Apple’s communications services, FaceTime, and iMessage. Typically, automobiles communicate with one another to be aware of each other’s whereabouts for safety reasons: a feature that says, “Slow down! Another automobile is coming!”

This 2022 Apple patent that describes an electronic key essentially confirms Mark Gurman’s prediction that you would be able to use your iPhone to monitor and manage your automobile, including speedometer readings, temperature changes, radio and seat settings, and sounding the alarm. Apple’s car may eventually employ facial recognition to unlock it or adapt the interior to the user when they sit down.

Price

Apple and low pricing don’t go hand in hand. Apple items are expected to be expensive since they are of superior quality. It’s reasonable to expect their self-driving electric car to cost a lot of money and follow suit. Of course, it’s difficult to estimate the price of the Apple Car because there is little to no official information available.

Looking at what other businesses are doing is the only way to price the automobile thus far in advance of its introduction. Depending on the amenities you want your luxury automobile to have, you may find a wide variety of prices for them from rival manufacturers like Tesla and Lucid Motors. You may spend anywhere from about $40,000 to $170,000 on just those two.

There may be a lower-end model without auto-driving or the same features as the more costly versions if numerous variants exist. If so, a less expensive yet still upscale, Apple-branded electric car may be available for roughly $35,000, which is considerably closer to what is considered reasonable.

This will be an expensive vehicle if the Vanarama renderings are accurate. In other words, a cheap Apple automobile might not be in the works. Although some speculate it will cost $100,000, some think it will be available as a subscription. Thus, it’s likely that buying it outright would not even be an option. When Apple makes a formal statement, we’ll know how everything operates.

Development History

The Apple car’s history dates back to 2014 when it was still known as “Project Titan,” ostensibly to make it available to the general public in 2020. Of course, it never occurred, but sources indicate that the Apple Car is indeed moving toward becoming a reality. According to reports, the first wave left the property in 2016, and 200 more were reportedly relocated as recently as January 2019. Although it was said that management didn’t know where the self-driving vehicle project was headed, it is unclear what transpires in both situations.

According to a Bloomberg article, the Apple Car lost three executives at the beginning of 2021. Dave Scott oversaw the robotics teams; Jaime Waydo oversaw autonomous vehicle safety and legal teams. And Benjamin Lyon, who assisted in assembling the initial Apple Car team back in the day. A Bloomberg story claims that Apple hired Ford’s Desi Ujkashevic a few months later.

Layoffs and personnel changes are unlikely to affect Apple Car’s development significantly. Given that sources indicate thousands of workers have been working on the project. Of course, even if the Apple Car does appear around the middle of the decade, we can’t say for sure and probably never will.

Possible Partnership

Many well-known automakers have reportedly had conversations with Apple about forming a relationship. These include Nissan, BMW, Canoo, and Hyundai/Kia. The Hyundai/Kia cooperation plan was previously floated as if it were nearly finalized before being rejected. However, there is still some small-scale partnership discussion. Branding seems to be the main challenge in this situation. Existing automakers would be opposed to becoming Apple’s contract manufacturer. Where the company makes all the decisions, and the vehicle alone bears Apple branding.

The second scenario is that Apple contracts with a manufacturer to create the automobiles. Just like it utilizes Foxconn and Pegatron to create iPhones and other items. Magna is one of the most well-known contract manufacturers capable of producing models for high-end brands. Thus, it seems probable that they will compete.

Is Apple coming out with a car?

According to reports, Apple is developing a completely autonomous self-driving vehicle. If Apple is successful, it will be a massive thing. Even while it is nothing new, the Apple Car is reportedly something you can purchase and keep in your garage as opposed to something you would call up using an app.

Who is making Apple Car batteries?

According to a recent study, the key obstacles are producing advanced lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) batteries in the United States for Apple and the work required for exclusivity. The report names BYD and CATL as vendors.

Is Project Titan Real?

Apple Inc. is researching and developing an electric automobile project under “Titan.” Apple hasn’t publicly discussed any of its autonomous vehicle research. But as of 2018, it was estimated that 5,000 personnel were engaged in the initiative.

Verdict

Apple often keeps quiet about its upcoming goods, and the Apple Car is no exception. Given its patent applications and road testing antics. The corporation has made progress in creating autonomous technology and swanky new tech features. Still, it will be some time before we see a commercially viable Apple car product.

However, Tim Cook revealed that Apple is interested in the automotive industry when he hinted at his company’s car ambitions during an interview on Kara Swisher’s Sway podcast. More encouragingly, Cook seemed to imply that if Apple entered the automotive industry. Software development alone would not suffice for it. Therefore, the business will have to handle everything on its own. Of course, it’s important to remember that Apple isn’t exactly far behind in the race to create the first self-driving car for the mainstream market. Several other businesses have had similarly bumpy journeys when building autonomous road cars, but Tesla undoubtedly leads the field.

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