The Apple Car is still happening, Bloomberg reports. A finished product could reach the market as soon as 2028.
But the company is dropping ambitious plans for self-driving capability to make the target, the report says.
Project Underway for a Decade
Often considered the world’s most valuable company, the tech giant has had an internal project to develop a car for consumer sales for about a decade.
Known as Project Titan, it has attracted designers and engineers from Tesla and other car companies. Apple has promised the car in 2024 and later in 2026 and discussed on-again/off-again plans to have a major automaker build it.
Little is known about the car outside the company. It’s reportedly electric and may use exotic battery technology unlike the lithium-ion cells common to today’s electric vehicles (EVs).
But, in keeping with Apple’s image as an advanced technology company, plans have always centered on a high level of automation.
Related: Self-Driving Cars – Everything You Need to Know
Self-Driving Plans Reportedly Scaled Back Significantly
That, Bloomberg says, may be changing. “After previously envisioning a truly driverless car, the company is now working on an EV with more limited features,” Bloomberg reports.
Automakers use a system of five levels to classify their efforts toward a self-driving car. Nearly every automaker today sells a Level 2 system – one that can accelerate, brake, and steer under limited conditions as long as the driver keeps their attention on the road and stays ready to take over at a moment’s notice.
Only one automaker – Mercedes – has proceeded to Level 3. Its Drive Pilot system, available only in California and Nevada, lets the driver look away from the road under some conditions.
Apple, Bloomberg reports, had hoped to bring out a Level 4 system – one that let the driver look away at all times. But engineers have reportedly scaled their plans back to Level 2.
Losing Its Key Differentiator?
That raises questions about the viability of the project. By 2028, nearly every automaker will almost certainly offer EVs with Level 2 driver assistance systems in most segments of the market.
Launching a new automaker is one of the hardest challenges in the business world, requiring immense capital investments and a tolerance for losing money for many years before turning a profit. Apple certainly has the resources to do that.
But without a compelling product clearly different from the rest of the market, it’s not clear why the company would want to.
