The rumors that Apple is working on an electric car keeps surfacing. Today, in a letter to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Apple asks for no restrictions of self-driving vehicles by the government. Normally, Apple rumors are initiated by journalist and analysts, this time an executive was the one leaking the information.
In this document, Steve Kenner, Apple’s director of product integrity, he explains that the company is using machine learning in some fields, including transportation technology: “Apple uses machine learning to make its products and services smarter, more intuitive, and more personal. The company is investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation.”
If this letter was not enough, Apple issued a statement to the Financial Times that’s a lot more clear and direct. “We’ve provided comments to NHTSA because Apple is investing heavily in machine learning and autonomous systems, there are many potential applications for these technologies, including the future of transportation, so we want to work with NHTSA to help define the best practices for the industry.” Apple Spokesmen
With that information, is obvious that the Cupertino giant is indeed working in changing the future of cars. We are not sure whether the company will build a vehicle or is going to implement an autonomous technology with a 3rd party. If we look at the company MO, we can see that Apple likes to control the software, hardware and services. So it’s very probable that we are going to see an Apple Car, we just don’t know when.
Most manufacturers are promising to launch their visions about the future of transportations between 2019 and 2021. The only manufacturer who seems to be five years ahead is Tesla, is already selling cars that will become full autonomous with a software update.