The rumors are heating up around the alleged electric car project being undertaken by tech giant Apple. According to a new report, the Cupertino fruit stand wants to have its first cars on the road as early as 2020.
Bloomberg Business reports cites
unnamed sources "with knowledge of the matter," who say that the
top-secret electric car project is aiming for a 2020 release. That's a
pretty short timeframe—especially considering this project only came to light last week.
Apple's top-secret electric car project is aiming for a 2020 release
Most
established car companies take about five years to bring a concept
vehicle into full-scale production. But that's a slightly deceptive
number, since existing car companies have well-worked-out manufacturing,
parts supplies, distribution networks, and all the other multi-faceted
aspects of automobile production.
That
2020 target date also plays into a storyline that observers have been
emphasizing since the "Project Titan" car team first became
known—namely, the notion that Apple wants to compete with Tesla in the
market for reasonably-priced, all-electric vehicles. With both the Tesla Model 3 and the Chevy Bolt (or whatever they end up naming it)
slated to arrive in 2017, both with a promised 200 miles of range and
prices around $30,000, the segment of affordable, family-friendly EVs
seems to be heating up.
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Additionally, reports have indicated that Apple's car project, if it exists, would include work toward a vehicle with self-driving capabilities—something the tech giant's largest competitor, Google, has been working on since 2010.
While
Apple has been characteristically tight-lipped, never acknowledging the
growing rumors around this alleged car project, there is growing
evidence that the tech giant is putting together an automotive team. Bloomberg Business reports that 200 people are already involved, and Apple has recently hired a number of people with experience in the auto industry.
Not to mention, Elon Musk himself told Bloomberg Business that
Apple had been trying to lure away Tesla employees, offering $250,000
signing bonuses and a 60-percent salary boost. And reports are coming in
that Apple has been trying to snag battery experts from Samsung,
Panasonic, Toshiba, Johnson Controls, and A123, the last of which has
filed a lawsuit against Apple over the tech company's claimed
"aggressive campaign to poach" employees.
A request for comment from Apple was not returned.
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