- Tech giant has been planning to launch a fully self-driving car for more than a decade
- But sources say it has been scaled down to an EV with more limited features
- According to sources, the vehicle will be launched in 2028 Bloomberg
Apple is planning to launch its own electric car as early as 2028, according to new reports.
The tech giant originally planned to create a fully self-driving vehicle as part of a decade-old project internally dubbed Titan.
But sources close to the project said this today Bloomberg that the company is working on an electric car with more limited functions. The outlet reported that the model will hit the market in 2028 – two years after that was expected.
It comes after Apple’s sales stalled last year as it looked for its next big product to entice customers.
Bosses started working on a vehicle in 2014, but the plan was delayed by redundancies and changes to the company’s strategy.
The tech giant originally planned to create a fully self-driving vehicle as part of a decade-old project internally dubbed Titan. In the photo: a concept of Apple’s self-driving car
According to new reports, Apple is reportedly planning to launch its own electric car as early as 2028
In December 2022, Bloomberg reported that bosses planned to launch a fully self-driving vehicle by 2026.
However, insiders said the plan has now been scaled back to bring the project more in line with the current capabilities of Teslas in the market.
It will now implement a so-called Level 2+ system, after being downgraded from Level 4 technology. Originally, bosses had planned an even more ambitious Level 5 system.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has historically been tight-lipped about the project. When asked about the project in 2021, the New York Times said, “We’ll see what Apple does. We investigate so many things internally. Many of them never see the light of day.’
But the new change in direction is seen as a pivotal moment among staff, making it more feasible for the company to deliver the project. If not, executives may still reconsider the project’s existence.
The original plan for the vehicle would have meant no need for human intervention on highways in approved parts of North America.
Today’s more basic plan requires drivers to pay attention to the road and take control at any time. This is similar to the current autopilot feature on Tesla EVs.
Apple still hopes that it can release an upgraded car with Level 4 technology after the initial rollout. A Level 4 system means that the vehicle can operate completely independently, but only under specific circumstances.
The new approach follows a series of frenzied meetings with Apple’s board, project head Kevin Lynch and Cook, Bloomberg reports.
So far, it has been one of Apple’s most expensive projects of the past decade, with the company reportedly spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year on salaries, cloud-based systems, closed-road testing, and engineering for auto parts and chips.
This is a current news item. Check back regularly for updates.