According to 9to5Mac, citing a new Bloomberg report, Apple has hired Desi Ujkashevic, a 31-year Ford veteran, to aid with the Apple Car project.
Apple's recruitment of Ujkashevic is notable because it comes after Ford snatched Apple's Doug Field last year. Field was hired by Tesla in 2013 after leaving Apple to help with the Model 3 manufacturing ramp. Field returned to Apple in 2018 to assist with the Apple Car project before joining Ford in September 2021.
Following Field's departure, Apple's VP of technology Kevin Lynch is thought to be in charge of the majority of the Apple Car team and project. Apple is rumored to be working on a fully self-driving EV, with a target release date of 2025.
What Is the Expertise of Ujkashevic?
As per 9to5Mac, Ujkashevic had been with Ford since 1991, most recently serving as the global director of automotive safety engineering.
Ujkashevic worked on a variety of Ford's most popular models, including Escape, Explorer, Fiesta, and Focus. She was also involved with the Lincoln MKC and Aviator projects, as well as Ford's foray into the EV market.
TechCrunch mentioned that according to her LinkedIn profile, Ujkashevic has also worked on car exteriors and interiors and chassis components.
What Can You Expect With Apple's EV?
The Economic Times reported that the autopilot technology for Apple's EV is being developed in collaboration with a South Korean company. The report noted that the iPhone maker might be mirroring Tesla's footsteps as the latter used Samsung memory and outsourced assembly of its autopilot chip to Jcet Stats Chip Pac Korea.
Apple Car is also anticipated to deploy LED screens throughout the car to keep other drivers informed about the self-driving system's activities. The display would include graphics and video to provide brake information, vehicle speed, and other data.
Lastly, the report noted that the forthcoming Apple Car is believed to use a "C1" chip based on the A12 Bionic processor, as well as in-cabin AI features like eye-tracking.
Is Apple's Plan To Create a Self-Driving Ev by 2025 Really Feasible?
According to Chance Miller of 9to5Mac, Apple's target date of 2025 is ambitious and unlikely to be met. The recent recruitment of Ujkashevic from Ford, on the other hand, indicates that the tech giant is serious about its EV initiatives.
While Apple is undoubtedly one of the production and supply chain management leaders, Miller highlighted that building and shipping an EV is a different story.
Apple wants to get rid of the typical steering wheel and pedals in its first EV. He pointed out that this indicates that the tech giant believes its self-driving technology is safe and trustworthy enough to accomplish this. However, Chance noted that Tesla CEO Elon Musk also stated that his EV company would produce a vehicle without a steering wheel by 2021, but this clearly did not happen.
