For some time, Apple has been working on self-driving cars. After an investigation brought details to light, there are now also conjectures about the launch date.
For Years, Autonomous Cars Have Been A Major Issue In The Industry
However, not only established manufacturers such as Mercedes, Toyota and Renault have interest in such systems, even technology companies are engaging strongly. In addition to Intel , Apple is striving to create a self-drive solution – A federal investigation brings further details of the secret project to light.
There Is Also News About Possible Cooperations
For a long time, Apple was looking for a suitable partner to realize an autonomous car. After a burst of negotiations with Mercedes and BMW, it seems to be found: according to a report by the New York Times, the technology group has signed a contract with Volkswagen. The German company is to supply Apple with trucks of the type T6, which then get an autonomous driving system. Apparently Apple wants to use the vehicles for the transport of its employees within the company premises.
While Google’s robotic cars have been on the road for 9 years, Apple has made its development of self-driving cars public only a few months ago. According to the documents of the regulatory authority, only a few vehicles have been on the road. To this end, Apple CEO Tim Cook had an interview last year at the beginning of June: The public has already talked about Apple concentrating on autonomous systems and clearly self-driving cars are a purpose of it, but there are others too.
What was more than a joke months ago is at one time a serious discussion substance. Apple has supposedly been researching a car for about a year. It is to be operated electrically, news reported on with appeal to internal sources without mentioning names.
According To A Newspaper Report, Apple Wants To Complete An Electric Car In A Few Years
The iphone group accelerated the development and set the target date for the year 2019, wrote the newspapers in US, citing informed people. However, because the target brand could be too optimistic, Apple might join an established car manufacturer. To make the car self-propelled was only planned with time, it was said.
According to the report, those responsible would have been given permission to triple the team of many employees. The Apple Insider website reported last week that Apple recruited engineers from the electric car manufacturer Tesla for the electric car project.
Apple’s plans to build an electric car, have been reported since the beginning of the year.The business of the car industry is being transformed by companies. With networking over the Internet, the cars are increasingly dominated by software. For example ,Google has also been working on the technology for self-running vehicles for about six years and is already testing the prototype of its own electric one-seater. The car is to be completely controlled by the computer later and without the steering wheel and pedals.
Electric cars have so far-even in view of low fuel prices-only a small share of the car market. In the coming years, however, several established manufacturers want to bring further models with electric drive to the market. One reason for this is the strict guidelines for CO2 emissions.
Apple Wants To Dominate Auto-Software
The Apple car plans have been a lot of speculation for years, but we only know that the group is sending several dozen modified Lexus SUV’s to the streets with its robotic car software in California. According to the opinion, Apple initially worked on a complete own car, but then swung to the development of technology for autonomous driving. Nothing has been known about the status of the program.
Apple was initially working on a design similar to a minivan. It could be that Apple would decide against the continuation of the project, it was said restrictive. Apple is also known for testing many prototypes that do not become products.
Apple is developing the software CarPlay for better integration of the iphone into the entertainment systems of cars. According to the Financial Times, however, some of the recruitments pointed out that the ambitions could go beyond that. Among the employees hired by Apple were car designers and vehicle dynamics specialists, citing informed people.
So it is not necessarily the case that the most successful smartphone producer in the world will be lifted by the decision to build an electric car.
Those who build an electric car do not need complex factory plants that produce vehicles that move through constant controlled explosions. This is not to be underestimated. A number of suppliers are faced with few car manufacturers worldwide, but the latter mainly build the engine, the heart of it. With the switch to the electric motor, the share of suppliers in the final automobile grows. The internal combustion engine is a complicated matter and provides an economical way of ensuring that market entry barriers are high. Say, therefore, it is expensive and difficult to go to this market as a new company. This does not apply to electric cars.
But the industry will have to be as competitive as it has never been before. Even if, for example, analysts say that Apple’s market entry will be one of the most important moments in the transport industry, this dreaded entry of Apple into the automotive market is not the greatest threat to the existing Automobile manufacturers.
Because Apple wants at the end of the day just the same as you. Sell cars to consumers. But this is not reassuring for the automotive industry.