Apple Inc. is speeding up its efforts to build an electric car. The company is designating the electric automobile internally as a "committed project" and is targetting a shipping date for 2019.
The green light was given after the company spent more than a year considering the probability of an Apple-trademarked automobile, including consultations with two groups of government representatives to include the California's Department of Motor Vehicles to talk over autonomous automobiles as well as representatives from GoMentum Station, a high-security Bay Area test site for driverless cars. Frontrunners of the project, code-named Titan, have been given the authority to triple the 600-person team to 1800-person team.
Despite Apple's concern in driverless cars, it looks as if the first-generation automobile will not be fully self-driving. That is a capability that the company anticipates to further complement down the line.
Apple has signed up specialists in driverless cars, but the individuals acquainted with Apple's plans said the company in Cupertino, CA does not have any plans yet as to making its first electric car fully autonomous. That competency is part of the product's long-term campaigns.
Apple's commitment is a sign that the company sees a chance to become a player in the automotive business by rubbing in the know-how. This effort has been refined in developing iPhones in ranges such as batteries, sensors and hardware-software incorporation to the next generation of automobiles.
In a typical manner, the company has been silent about any future campaigns about a car. After having Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook as a guest on "The Late Show" last week, host Stephen Colbert urged the executive about the supposed project, but Cook seemed to avoid the question.
Whether Apple's proficiency in building sleek little computers will convert to automotive triumph still remains to be seen. Regardless, it will be interesting to lookout for the world's richest company to plunge into a sector so massive, complex, storied and capital-intensive.
