The development of one’s own car as part of “Project Titan”, which began in 2014, is correspondingly well advanced, said two people familiar with the matter to the Reuters news agency.
A central element are newly developed batteries that clearly
could deliver lower costs with a greater range, said another person. “It’s like the first time you saw an iPhone,” she said of the new battery. The US group declined to comment.
Cooperation with partners
According to the first two insiders, parts of the car are likely to come from suppliers. This includes the lidar sensors that the car uses to get an idea of its surroundings. It remains unclear who will be responsible for assembling the vehicle.
It was rumored from circles that Apple could work with another partner here. In any case, it cannot be ruled out that the Californians could end up being content with an autonomous driving system that would be installed in cars from a traditional manufacturer. In addition, two insiders said the coronavirus pandemic could delay plans until 2025 or later.
New battery technology
According to one person, the batteries will be built according to a unique “monocell” design. The individual battery cells would be reinforced and the available space increased. In addition, Apple is looking into the use of lithium iron phosphate technology (LFP), with which the risk of overheating is significantly lower than with other lithium-ion batteries.
As part of Project Titan, Apple initially took the approach of building its own car entirely. In the meantime, the group has shifted its focus to software. In 2018, former Apple employee Doug Field returned from Tesla to the iPhone maker and laid off 190 members of the Titan team a year later.
Conversations with Magna
In the meantime, Apple also had talks with Magna International about the production of a car. A statement from Magna was not initially available either.
A former Titan employee certified that Apple could put its own car on the wheels, even if it would not be easy. “If a company has the resources to do it, it’s probably Apple,” the person said. “But at the same time it’s not about a mobile phone.”
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