Tech giant Apple, known for its innovative products, is working on its own electric vehicle, codenamed Project Titan. The project, which began in 2015, has faced several setbacks and executive turnover, with the company initially aiming to create a fully autonomous vehicle without a steering wheel. However, recent reports suggest a shift in strategy towards a more realistic approach.
Release Date and Changes in Strategy
According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple has set a new release date for the launch of its first vehicle: 2028. This is a significant change from the initial plan, which aimed for a 2021 release date. The project has faced numerous delays and frequent executive turnover, with Apple VP Kevin Lynch leading the project since 2021.
While ambitious plans for a fully autonomous car without driver intervention have been scaled back, the 2028 Apple Car is expected to offer limited autonomy features similar to other electric vehicles like Tesla. The revised plan introduces Apple Car as a Level 2+ system, which requires drivers to be attentive and ready to take control.
Key Features and Partnerships
The Apple Car is expected to be a fully featured self-driving electric vehicle that will compete with other popular manufacturers like Hyundai or BMW. It will have AI-specific features along with Siri and will be designed with a focus on software and services. Apple acquired Drive.AI in 2019 to advance its autonomous driving technology.
Apple is said to be working on securing partnerships in the automobile industry, but it is not yet known who Apple will be working with. The company has held talks with Hyundai and other companies.
Challenges and Future Outlook
Apple has been working on autonomous driving technology for nearly a decade, but it has had to face the reality that its vision of a car without a steering wheel is unrealistic. The 2028 car will require drivers to pay attention and be prepared to handle it as the car drives itself on roads and highways.
The project had never produced a viable prototype before, and there were doubts about how innovative the first Apple Car would be. However, Apple is moving forward with the project, with Kevin Lynch leading the project, which aims to release an electric vehicle with driver-assistance features.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Apple’s electric vehicle project, codenamed Project Titan, is back in the spotlight with a new release date set for 2028. The project has faced numerous setbacks and changes in strategy, but with Kevin Lynch leading the project, Apple is moving forward with the development of a limited autonomy electric vehicle.
Apple’s Project Titan, an electric vehicle project, has been rescheduled for 2028, following a series of setbacks and executive turnover. Under the leadership of Kevin Lynch, Apple’s Vice President, the ambitious plan for a fully autonomous car without a steering wheel has been scaled back, with the 2028 Apple car expected to offer limited autonomy features similar to Tesla’s Autopilot system. This move reflects Apple’s acknowledgement of the challenges and regulatory constraints associated with fully autonomous driving. Nevertheless, insiders indicate that the company might investigate possibilities to improve autonomy via forthcoming software updates, in line with the evolving global regulatory environment. The Bloomberg report also reveals that Apple’s board pressured CEO Tim Cook last year to deliver a concrete plan for Project Titan’s execution or consider discontinuing the project altogether. As of now, the project has not yielded a workable prototype. Despite the optimism for the project’s success, concerns linger among some employees about the innovation level of the first Apple car, with some viewing it as a “me-too product” lacking groundbreaking features that have defined Apple’s other successful ventures.
