Image: Apple
Apple’s self-driving car plans have been scaled back and delayed, according to well-connected and reliable reporter Mark Gurman from Bloomberg.
According to unnamed people familiar with the matter, the so-called ‘Apple Car’ has seen its launch date postponed by roughly one year to 2026.
‘Project Titan’, as the Apple Car is known internally, is supposed to be a self-driving vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, but for today’s technology isn’t quite allowing that yet, according to Apple executives.
The shift now means Apple’s vehicle design will include a traditional steering wheel and pedals, while supporting self-driving on highways, say unnamed sources.
Apple’s car will allow passengers to do other things such as watching a movie or play a game while the vehicle is self-driving. Drivers will be notified when and if they should take over. This self-driving tech is said to be debuting first in North America before expanding elsewhere, as it improves over time.
The interaction of a driver taking over means full autonomy “Level 5”, as previously part of Apple’s vision, won’t be available.
The Apple car will have an onboard computer codenamed ‘Denali’, plus custom sensors. Performance is on par with high-end Apple Silicon chips found in the most expensive Macs. This chip is said to be near production ready, according to Gurman.
While Tesla only uses cameras for its Autopilot self-driving system, Apple will use lidar and radar sensors, along with cameras, such as Alphabet’s Waymo.
The Apple Car’s onboard computer will also leverage some cloud-based artificial intelligence. Apple will be using Amazon Web Services to host the system and spend $125 million annually, just over one-tenth of what Project Titan costs per year at the moment.
Apple is also looking at a remote command center to help drivers during emergencies and also possibly offering its own insurance program. Tesla offers insurance for customers in select states.
As for Apple car pricing, Gurman says the company originally sought a $120,000 USD price tag, but now a reduction to under $100,000 USD is where it stands, say sources. This Apple self-driving car would be priced to compete with an entry Tesla Model S or Mercedes-Benz EQS.
The design of the Apple car is said to be ready by 2023, with features complete by 2024. Apple is said to start extensive testing of its vehicle in 2025.
Ulrich Kranz, the former CEO of EV startup Canoo is leading the design, alongside other managers from Tesla, Lamborghini and Porsche. Vehicle software is being led by ex-Tesla manager Stuart Bowers, while former Ford executive Desi Ujkashevic is overseeing safety engineering, testing and regulatory matters.
The Apple car team has roughly 1,000 employees spread across locations in Sunnyvale, California; Ottawa; Zurich; and Arizona.
Most of the work is being done in Sunnyvale, while some of the operating system is being developed in Ottawa, Ontario, in Canada. This team consists of former BlackBerry QNX workers.
In Zurich, Apple has a self-driving team creating a ‘Rocket Score’ that gives a grade to the car’s self-driving system.
Car testing has been done in Phoenix, Arizona, at a track that used to belong to Chrysler, with the area codenamed ‘Sahara’. Apple bought this test track for $125 million last year.
Apple continues to drive its ‘Baja’ Lexus test vehicles in numerous states, to develop its autonomous systems. These vehicles see system refreshes 1-2 times per year.
Near San Jose Airport in California, Apple has a new campus coming at 500,000 square feet, with construction having started on the site back in 2021.
