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After years of conflicting on-off-on-off reports, with Apple first rumored to launch its own EV before transitioning to a software-only role for future smart vehicles, the start of 2021 brought with it the confirmation that Tim Cook really does indeed plan to launch an electric vehicle in the coming years.
Although the process of developing, prototyping, and manufacturing a car can take decades, insiders suggest that Apple is well on its way to launching its own EV, and should roll out the first iteration within the next five years. In early January, Hyundai said that it was one of several firms to be holding talks with Apple over an assembly agreement, putting an end to many years of speculation and setting Apple off on a new path, competing with companies like Tesla, which it previously rejected acquiring.
The truth is that it’s still early days for Apple, and until the first models roll off the production line, anything could change, though it’s clear that the company wants to continue its expansion into new product categories to bolster its revenues and deliver to shareholders.
When is it coming?
What’s perhaps most important to note, however, is that the Apple Car isn’t coming any time soon. A recent Bloomberg report revealed that it was still early days and that the firm’s new self-driving electric vehicle won’t be ready for “at least half a decade.”
According to their report, Apple engineers have set a target of five to seven years, with the vehicle “nowhere near the production stage” right now. COVID has only added to the delays, with the majority of the department working from home, which slows the development of a full vehicle.
The company has been developing some form of car technology since 2014, forming a team of more than 1,000 employees under the Project Titan codename. The company shelved plans for its own electric car back in 2017, but it soon transpired that the firm had instead taken a different approach and would continue work on its own automotive technology.
According to insiders, Apple’s new self-driving vehicle would allow users to input their destination and be driven there with “no other engagement,” and Ming-Chi Kuo has said that the car would be Apple’s “next star product,” integrating with hardware, software, and services in a way that no other competitor could.
2021 looks set to be the biggest year yet for electric vehicles, with dozens of new models entering the market and taking consumers by storm. The confirmation of Apple’s entry into the sector should thrill EV enthusiasts and indeed automakers who continue to push for widespread EV adoption – if Apple can do for vehicles what it’s done for smartphones and smartwatches, the future could be greener and more sustainable than any of us imagined.
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