According to a new report from Reuters, Apple is planning to launch its electric car with new advanced battery technology in 2024.
Earlier this month, reports surfaced suggesting Apple was refocusing more towards developing self-driving technology that can be utilized by other manufactures vehicles. Now, anonymous sources claim that Apple plans to complete its own vehicle, otherwise known as “Project Titan,” and will sell it to consumers.
According to the report, the “Apple car” will utilize a new monocell battery design that “bulks up the individual cells in the battery and frees up space inside the battery pack by eliminating pouches and modules that hold battery materials.” Additionally, the vehicle will be able to achieve a greater range at “radically” lower cost using lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry.
The report sites 2024 as the start of production, but the question remains: who will build the Apple car? The report states: “It remains unclear who would assemble an Apple-branded car, but sources have said they expect the company to rely on a manufacturing partner to build vehicles. And there is still a chance Apple will decide to reduce the scope of its efforts to an autonomous driving system that would be integrated with a car made by a traditional automaker, rather than the iPhone maker selling an Apple-branded car, one of the people added.”
The report also noted “there is still a chance” Apple will remain focused on its autonomous-driving system instead of an actual car.
In the past few years we’ve heard several rumors and false alarms regarding a electric vehicle from the iPhone maker. The most recent news that sent Apple and EV enthusiast into speculation mode was Apple obtaining several automotive patents. Patents that prove the company has continued working on at least its car technologies. So far there are reports of Apple patenting a system that detects windshield cracks, steer-by-wire and suspension systems, a sensor enclosure, and a holographic head-up display.