8 expectations for Apple’s first electric car

Rumors have it that Apple has been working on its first car for years. Every now and then new information pops up about the mysterious project. In this article, we collect the most credible claims. These are our expectations for the Apple Car.

8 expectations for Apple Car

It is known that Apple has been working on a (kind of) car for years, but they keep their lips tight to the content. Internally, the plan would be known as Project Titan.

According to one, Apple is working on a completely electric self-driving car, while others think that the vehicle is ‘just’ electric. We also regularly hear that Apple is not working on a complete car at all, but on a software platform for other car manufacturers.

In this article we therefore try to give as complete an overview as possible of the possible route that the Apple Car will take.

1. Hardware vs software

Starting with the basics: what is Apple actually doing? Some rumors state that the iPhone maker from A to Z will assemble a completely own car and meddle with every detail.

After all, Apple is a company that likes to be in control: just look at the M1 chip in the new MacBooks and Mac mini. This is self-made by Apple, after the company worked with Intel for years on previous computers.

Other sources suspect that Apple is mainly about the software: it should make the car smart. According to this information, Apple leaves the ‘hardware’ side to renowned car manufacturers and Apple Car becomes a software platform for smart cars.

This line of thought is not entirely inconceivable. Google uses this strategy with Android, for example: the software is developed itself, but the building of smartphones is largely left to brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi and Nokia.

2. Self-propelled

In the summer of 2019, Apple acquired Drive.AI, a start-up for self-driving cars. It is therefore quite possible that Apple will use the knowledge and technology of this company for its own project.

Among other things, Drive.AI was busy making hardware that could be used to convert ‘normal’ cars into self-driving cars. This innovative solution gave the company a market capitalization of $ 200 million at the time of the acquisition.

According to CNET the Apple Car can in any case steer, accelerate and brake independently. However, there should always be a human driver behind the wheel to intervene where necessary. CNET therefore thinks that the Apple car is not yet entirely self-driving, but it is an extensive one cruise control has.

3. Apple opts for electric

What is almost certain is that the Apple car is electric. We have been hearing this rumor for years and threw it at the end of 2020 Reuters fuel the fire by claiming that the Apple Car will have a “revolutionary” battery, more about that later.

In addition, Tesla director Elon Musk has spoken about Apple’s vehicle plans several times in the past. The maker of electric cars expects and even hopes that the Cupertino company will also move into the world of sustainable cars. Moreover, a gasoline or diesel car does not fit Apple’s progressive image.

4. Central role for Siri

It goes without saying that Siri will play a central role in Apple Car should the car ever actually hit the road. The voice assistant from Apple has become increasingly smart in recent years and ensures that you can set up music wirelessly or navigate to work.

Arch-rival Google is also investing heavily in wireless operation. Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri counterpart, is playing an increasingly prominent role in Android Auto, CarPlay’s major competitor. Android Auto’s successor, called Android Automotive, also relies heavily on wireless control and was created with the Google Assistant in mind.

5. Revolutionary battery and iPhone scanner

According to news agency Reuters, the Apple Auto will get a “revolutionary” battery. This so-called monocell battery takes up less space than current ones, so that the capacity can be increased. According to Reuters, this provides a greater range. In addition, the monocell batteries would be relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

The news agency also claims that the Apple car is equipped with multiple LiDAR scanners. We know this from the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. A LiDAR scanner excels at registering distances and, according to Reuters, is used to scan the environment while driving. Thanks to these sensors, the Apple car knows its position on the road and that of other road users.

6. Collaboration with Hyundai

According to the American news channel CNBC Apple works together with manufacturer Hyundai for its car. It is not yet known exactly what the collaboration will look like. The first possibility is that the Apple electric car will be made in the US state of Georgia at a factory of Kia Motors, a subsidiary of Hyundai.

It could also be that the two parties set up an entirely new factory. CNBC suspects that this factory should be able to deliver at least 400,000 cars a year. It is still unclear where the factory will be built.

7. Apple car is far from moving away

Rumors circulated around 2014 that the first Apple vehicle would leave around 2020, but those estimates turned out to be overly optimistic. The most recent rumors indicate that it will take at least until 2024 before the Apple Car is released. They would like to start a closed test from the end of 2022 to see how well the car functions.

8. Apple as a supplier

Finally, it is also possible that Project Titan has a completely different approach than previously thought. At the end of 2020, it came out that Apple would not so much work on its own car, but on a chip to make other cars smarter. This message was brought out by, among others Bloomberg, which has an excellent reputation when it comes to Apple rumors.

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