Apple is rumored to start producing cars in 2024 with its own breakthrough battery technology
According to foreign media reports, sources revealed that Apple is advancing its self-driving car technology and is expected to put into production a passenger car in 2024, which will be equipped with the company’s breakthrough battery technology.
Apple car concept map (picture source: Motor trend)
In 2014, Apple launched the automotive project Project Titan, designing cars from scratch, but the subsequent progress has not been smooth sailing. Apple once abandoned its plan to devote itself to software development and reassessed its goals. In 2018, Doug Field, a former Tesla employee and senior Apple executive, began to take charge of this automotive project. In 2019, 190 employees were laid off in the project.
Two sources said that since then, Apple has made considerable progress and now plans to produce a passenger car for the mass market. In contrast, its rival Alphabet’s Waymo has produced self-driving taxis to provide passengers with self-driving online car-hailing services.
Another source who knows Apple’s battery design said that the core of Apple’s strategy is a new battery design, which can 'significantly' reduce battery costs and increase car mileage. Apple plans to use a unique 'monocell' design to free up space inside the battery pack and increase the number of cells in the battery pack by eliminating protective bags and modules containing battery materials.
Apple's design means that more active materials can be contained in the battery, making the car's mileage longer. The company is also considering the application of a chemical substance called lithium iron phosphate (LFP) in the battery. LFP is inherently less prone to overheating, so it is safer than other lithium-ion batteries. The person said: 'This is a new height, just like the first time you see the iPhone.' Apple declined to comment on future product plans.
(Image source: Apple)
Apple has strong financial resources and uses components from all over the world to produce hundreds of millions of electronic products every year, but even for Apple, building a car is a challenge. It took Tesla 17 years to make car production sustainable and profitable.
A person who works at Project Titan said: 'If there is only one company on the planet that has the resources to produce cars, it may be Apple. At the same time, it should be pointed out that building a car is not easier than making a mobile phone.'
Apple has decided to purchase the basic elements of the system from external partners, including lidar sensors (to help self-driving cars obtain 3D road views). Apple cars may be equipped with multiple lidar sensors to detect different distances. Some sensors may come from Apple's internal lidar department. Both the Apple iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro released this year are equipped with lidar sensors.
It is not clear which company will assemble Apple cars, but sources revealed that they want the company to rely on manufacturing partners to produce cars. One of the sources added that it is still possible for Apple to reduce the scale of its plan and only install its self-driving system in cars built by traditional automakers instead of selling Apple-branded cars.
Two people familiar with Apple’s plan warned that the related delays caused by the epidemic may cause the production plan to be postponed to 2025 or more. People familiar with the matter said that Apple had previously negotiated with Magna on the production of cars, but as Apple's plan became less clear, the negotiations gradually ended. Magna did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In order to achieve profitability, automotive contractors usually require mass production of cars, which may require the production of 100,000 cars per year or more. This may be a challenge for newcomers in the Apple car market.
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