Tech giant Apple has made a major breakthrough in advancing its electric car development project and has shifted its focus to fully autonomous driving technology, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Apple shares rose 2.98 per cent to $158.06 after Bloomberg reported the news, returning to the top spot in the world with a market capitalization of $2.593 trillion.
Apple has completed most of the core work on chip processors on first-generation cars, reaching a key milestone in the development of a fully autonomous driving system for cars, according to people familiar with the matter. Apple's car chip is the most advanced component developed within the company, mainly composed of neural network processors that can handle the artificial intelligence needed for self-driving.
The chip was designed by Apple's internal silicon engineering team, which designs processors for iPhone, iPad and Mac. The chip will heat up, and a complex cooling system may need to be developed in the future.
Apple's internal goal is to launch its self-driving car within four years (by 2025), faster than the five-to seven-year schedule previously planned by some engineers. However, the timetable has not yet been determined and will ultimately depend on the development process of the autopilot system. If Apple fails to meet its goals by then, it may delay the release or release a car with a driving assistance system.
The strategy of daring to be the first
Technology giants and auto giants have been working on fully self-driving cars for years, but so far they seem to have yielded nothing. Tesla, the market leader in electric cars, says it may be years before fully self-driving cars are available. The development team of Waymo, owned by Alphabet, has also seen a large number of departures. Uber Technologies Inc. Last year it planned to sell its autopilot unit.
But Apple hopes to be the first to touch the Holy Grail. Apple has used new processor designs and updated self-driving sensors on some modified cars that have been tested in California for several years, according to people familiar with the matter. The state motor vehicle administration says the company currently has 69 Lexus SUV testing these technologies.
Over the past few years, Apple's auto team has explored two ways: assisted self-driving technology and fully self-driving technology. Under the leadership of Kevin Lynch, the new head of the project, engineers are focusing on the second option.
This is also the latest shift in Apple's car-building project, the Titan Project. The Titan Project has undergone a number of leadership and strategic changes since 2014. In September, Doug Field, who has been in charge of the project for three years, moved to Ford, and Kevin Lynch, the head of Apple Watch, was appointed to take over the project.
Brand-new design
According to the research and development plan, the Apple car will be designed internally around fully autonomous driving, which means the model may not be equipped with steering wheels and pedals. However, Apple is talking about an emergency takeover mode for the car, so it is possible to retain the steering wheel eventually.
According to people familiar with the matter, Apple's seat design will be similar to the prototype electric car startup Canoo: passengers sit along the edge of the car, a bit like a face-to-face seat in a limousine.
Apple has also explored in-car infotainment: a large touchscreen similar to iPad will be located in the middle of the car, allowing users to interact with it throughout the ride. The car will also be highly integrated with Apple's existing services and devices.
Expand the army of the "Titan Project"
Apple hopes to develop such an electric car to protect customers from driving fatigue during long-distance trips. But for outsiders in the auto industry like Apple, building a real car requires outside cooperation. The company has discussed deals with a number of manufacturers and is considering building cars in the United States first.
In recent weeks, to speed up the project, Apple has hired a climate system expert at Volvo, a manager for Daimler trucks, a battery systems engineer for Karma, and a sensor engineer for General Motors' self-driving Cruise LLC. It is worth mentioning that Apple recently poached CJ Moore, the head of Tesla's former autopilot software Autopilot.
Apple is also actively recruiting engineers to develop and test security features. A recent job post read, "the special project team is looking for an excellent mechanical engineer to lead the development of mechanical systems with safety functions."
Apple is also hiring software engineers to study the "human experience of interacting with its own technology", suggesting that the company is delving into the car's user interface.
