development company.
For many years there have been rumors about the Apple car, although the details are still unclear. But a new report from Reuters has revealed a lot of new information about the super-secret project. According to this report, production of Apple’s electric vehicle could start as early as 2024 and will be an Apple-branded vehicle, not technology for others.
Most notably, Apple’s electric vehicle strategy focuses on revolutionary new battery technology. According to the report, the company’s new single-cell battery design will “stack individual cells on top of each other and free up space inside the battery pack by removing the casing and modules containing the material from the battery pack. drums”. This battery design will allow materials with higher activity when packaged, promising longer operational distances.
In addition, Apple is also testing LFP (Iron Phosphate Lithium) battery technology for its vehicle. Earlier this year, Tesla also showed signs of using this battery technology. LFP batteries, although they have a lower energy density than other batteries, are more difficult to overheat and do not use cobalt – a material known to cause pollution during mining.
The report claims that Apple’s battery technology could “significantly” reduce battery costs.
Change of strategy
Recent reports indicate that Apple is more likely to focus on developing self-driving car technology and then teaming up with another automaker to develop a complete car. But that’s clearly not Apple’s habit, and the new Reuters report backs it up.
The new electric vehicle will carry Apple’s own brand, according to the report, instead of cooperating with other parties.
Since the shocking layoff of 200 staff on the Titan project in 2019, things have “progressed fast enough” that Apple can now plan to build, two Reuters sources on the project said. build a mass market vehicle.
The Apple electric car may also feature a LiDAR sensor to measure different distances to obstacles, similar to those found on today’s iPads and iPhones. The report also states that Apple is working with outside partners to develop “system components,” including LiDAR sensors.
In the past, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has called LiDAR a “silly thing.”
“If there was a company on the planet with the resources to do this, it could be Apple. But at the time, it was not electricity,” said a Reuters source working on the project. Project Titan. phone.”
“It’s the next evolution. It’s like the first time you saw the iPhone.” This person spoke about the new battery technology of the Apple electric vehicle.
Apple’s Project Titan has seen a lot of personnel disruption in recent years. More recently, Bloomberg said, the leadership of the project has been given to John Giannandrea, senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy.
Additionally, production deadlines were predicted by Reuters for early 2024, but the report also suggested that some pandemic-related factors could delay that timeline and revert to 2025 or more. more.
