On Thursday, Bloomberg News reported that Apple Inc is pushing to launch its electric car as early as 2025 and refocusing the project around full self-driving capabilities. The iPhone maker’s shares rose nearly 3% to hit a new record following the report.
The report stated that Apple’s ideal car would have no steering wheels and pedals, with interior designs around hands-off driving. The company’s automotive efforts, known as Project Titan, have proceeded unevenly since 2014 when it first started to design a vehicle from scratch. Demand for electric vehicles has surged as countries and customers turn more environment conscious, propelling the market value of companies, such as Tesla and Rivian far above traditional carmakers around for decades later.
Apple is working on a fully autonomous self-driving vehicle that will not require user intervention to drive, going further than any other car manufacturer to date. It’s a highly ambitious project, and rumors indicate that Apple wants a car with no steering wheel and no pedals.
Apple’s AI and machine learning chief John Giannandrea is heading up the Apple Car project, and Kevin Lynch, known for his work on the Apple Watch, has also joined the Car team and it said to be largely responsible for Apple’s push toward a self-driving car.
