The whole premise of this Motor Trend video is bonkers.
They're critiquing their own speculation of what an Apple Car might be like. It has nearly nothing to do with Apple except maybe as clickbait. It might as well have been promoted as what Motor Trend thinks the car of the future could be.
What else can content authors do to fill the void when they have practically zero information about this project?
The whole premise of this Motor Trend video is bonkers.
They're critiquing their own speculation of what an Apple Car might be like. It has nearly nothing to do with Apple except maybe as clickbait. It might as well have been promoted as what Motor Trend thinks the car of the future could be.
That is the media coverage of anything Apple has not yet released (and therefore by definition unknown) in a nutshell.
"They’ve effectively just taken design cues from the iPhone, slapped some wheels on it and called it a car. Seriously – it even has an antenna cutout …" Enough said! I don't even watch the video when I see the picture!
Why in the f*ck is it gold?
I'm not an automobile expert reviewer but everyone I know with a gold car, is 75+ or can't afford a better color.
Exactly right. I sold cars for a short time and one customer who was in her 60s decided not to buy a gold car because she felt it made her look like an old woman. People who want to be perceived as youthful and fun do not drive gold cars.
I've come to hate driving. LA is a disaster. I have a super nice luxury auto that only has 4,000 miles after two years. I'm afraid to take it anywhere. It'll get dinged in the parking lot, a valet will take it for a joy ride or somebody will key it out of jealousy. I don't even want to take it to the dealership as they have a bunch of tatted up high school drop outs working there who have no appreciation for people who want to have their car protected and cared for - just a thankless low paying job for them. I pretty much only drive my junker truck these days. My wife's Mercedes is all dinged up from no fault of her own. It just doesn't make sense to buy a nice car these days if you plan on actually driving it.
Elsewhere I was reading something by a proud new Nissan Leaf owner who had traveled from Ireland to the UK to buy his new pride and joy and who then drove it back to Ireland. It rather highlighted how electric cars are not very practical beyond short commutes. Apart from having to go to some effort to plan his route around the availability of charging points, on a 344 mile journey he spent 2:49 waiting for the thing to charge with seven charging stops. I did the same sort of thing some years ago, except I bought a petrol engined vehicle and stopped once for about 7 minutes to fill it up since it was near empty when I got it.
I like the idea of electric vehicles, I just don't think the energy storage problem has been cracked enough to make them practical.
When they get up to a 400-mile range, they'll be practical. Or, the industry will have to convince regular gas stations to install charging stations, although I suspect that if they did so, it could actually cost more per mile than filling up with gasoline, especially at today's very low gas prices (which admittedly, is probably temporary). But we're in the infancy of this industry and I think we're going to see substantial progress made over the next 10-20 years. People have to accept that it's going to be that slow, especially since people are keeping their cars longer: as of August 2013, the average age of a car on American roads was 11.4 years. As of that date, Polk predicted it would increase to 11.7 years by 2019. Of course those numbers probably don't apply to people who can afford an electric car. This isn't about waiting for a new Intel Processor and slapping a few other chips around it and adding an OS. This is much more complicated.
As for anyone predicting what Apple is going to do, has anyone, ever gotten that correct, especially for a totally new product? Remember all the mockups of the Apple Watch - not one even came close, for better or worse.
If I were Apple's legal, I'd consider suing for defamation. This is horribly ugly and nonfunctional. That Apple symbol should not go on something like this... especially since other media outlets will probably pick it up and people will think that Apple is actually making something like this.
Apple's legal department will probably be busy with lawsuits due to Siri driving people into canals and lakes. Nothing more frightening than Siri and apple maps driving a car.
If I were Apple's legal, I'd consider suing for defamation. This is horribly ugly and nonfunctional. That Apple symbol should not go on something like this... especially since other media outlets will probably pick it up and people will think that Apple is actually making something like this.
Yeah, so Apple can officially admit that "ITS" car is not going to be that ugly?
This article mentions at the very beginning that Apple has nothing to do with this, an yet still people here have to chime in with the armchair-critiques about everything wrong with it. What next? Complain that the movie "Aliens" is not possible? Lighten-up people. How many countless of conceptual iPhone designs have come out in years past from the guessing crowd? Everyone knew and didn't have a problem with that... but, hey... it's a car therefore we know better?
Elsewhere I was reading something by a proud new Nissan Leaf owner who had traveled from Ireland to the UK to buy his new pride and joy and who then drove it back to Ireland. It rather highlighted how electric cars are not very practical beyond short commutes. Apart from having to go to some effort to plan his route around the availability of charging points, on a 344 mile journey he spent 2:49 waiting for the thing to charge with seven charging stops. I did the same sort of thing some years ago, except I bought a petrol engined vehicle and stopped once for about 7 minutes to fill it up since it was near empty when I got it.
I like the idea of electric vehicles, I just don't think the energy storage problem has been cracked enough to make them practical.
When they get up to a 400-mile range, they'll be practical. Or, the industry will have to convince regular gas stations to install charging stations, although I suspect that if they did so, it could actually cost more per mile than filling up with gasoline, especially at today's very low gas prices (which admittedly, is probably temporary). But we're in the infancy of this industry and I think we're going to see substantial progress made over the next 10-20 years. People have to accept that it's going to be that slow, especially since people are keeping their cars longer: as of August 2013, the average age of a car on American roads was 11.4 years. As of that date, Polk predicted it would increase to 11.7 years by 2019. Of course those numbers probably don't apply to people who can afford an electric car. This isn't about waiting for a new Intel Processor and slapping a few other chips around it and adding an OS. This is much more complicated.
As an EV owner, it always makes me sad to see everyone quoting myths about electric cars, so I thought I'd address some of them.
Limited Range and Slow Charging
First of all, why is it impractical to have a range of less than 400 miles? Even some internal combustion engine (ICE) will struggle to go 400 miles on 1 tank. I know what you're thinking: "But wait a minute, I can refuel my car and get back on the road in minutes". This is true, but how long do you think it takes to refuel an electric vehicle? The answer is, it depends. If your car has super-charging capability (or DC Fast Charging, as it's known for non Teslas), then you can recharge an empty battery in 15-20 minutes. That's not a typo, I have never spent more than 20 minutes at a charging location.
Don't believe me? Do the math: a typical (non-Tesla) EV has a 20kWh battery. The super-charger pumps 400 volts DC at the rate of 50-60kW. That means a 20kWh battery will be filled in a third of an hour, or 20 minutes. My car has a 17kWh battery so it's less than 20 minutes for me. That energy is then good for 80 miles of travel, on average. A Tesla super-charger runs at 120 kW, so it's more than twice as fast as the regular ones. If you then consider the locations of these super-chargers, they are not like gas stations. They are located in parking lots of malls, restaurants and other public places, making it convenient for you to grab some food or coffee, do your grocery shopping, etc, while your car is charging.
How many of these fast charging station are available. You can check on the PlugShare app or website. They are available in California along almost every major freeway. There are also plans for aggressive expansion. I don't know exact details but I know the same is true for many other states and countries.
So that's fast charging.
You can also charge at home, it's much slower but it gets the job done in 2-5 hours, depending on your car's on-board charger. If you plug it in overnight, it will be fully-charged and ready for you in the morning. Not having to go to gas stations is surprisingly pleasant. I never realized what a chore it actually is until I didn't have to do it anymore.
Electric Cars are Expensive
So how much does it cost to operate an EV? Here in California, we pay on average 20c per kWh, so for a 20 kWh battery, that's $4 to recharge. As mentioned earlier, 20 kWh is good for 80 miles on average, but if you're driving in city traffic, you will get closer to 100 miles out of your 20 kWh battery. That's right, EVs are more efficient in city driving rather than highway driving. That is because they do not have gearboxes. Imagine driving your ICE car on the freeway on 1st gear. You would use up more gas than if you drove in 1st gear in city. Anyway, the cost of operating a non-Tesla EV is 4c per mile, if you pay for all the electricity.
Many public stations offer free charging (just to clarify, these are not DC Fast Charging Stations, they are the same ones as you can get at home). Also, many employers offer free charging to employees. Almost every EV driver I know takes advantage of these free chargers, so if you play the game right, your cost of operating your EV could be $0.
In addition to a very low cost of driving, there are practically no maintenance costs. There is no oil, no air filter, no timing belt, no spark plugs, in fact there are almost no moving parts. There is only a battery, an alternator and a motor. When I take my car for a service, all they do is rotate the tires and fill up the windshield washer fluid. Even brake pads last forever on an EV because of the regenerative braking system, which uses the motor as a generator when you let go of the accelerator. This slows down the car significantly, so when I press the brake pedal the car is moving at 5 mph. This just takes some getting used to and it can be disabled if you don't like it. But you should use it because it increases your range.
All that's left is the cost of buying or leasing the car. Here in California, there are many incentives. If you buy, you get a $7500 federal tax credit and $2500 check from the state. If you live in the Central Valley, you get an additional $3000 from the local authorities. There are a ton of other incentives but these are the major ones. That means it's up to $13 000 less than MSRP. If you lease the car, you don't get the federal tax credit but you're still entitled to the other rebates. The dealership then gets the tax credit and they use it to lower your monthly payments. My car is a Chevrolet Spark EV, MSRP $25000. I am leasing it for $139 a month. With taxes and everything it came to $150 a month. It was also 0 down, but I ended up paying $1000 upfront for various delivery fees, DMV registration fees, etc. I got a check from the state for $2500 and from the Central valley for $3000. So that's $5500 worth of rebates, which is equivalent to 36 monthly payments of $150. That's right, I leased the car for free. I just paid the $1000 for delivery fee, I'm paying insurance and I'm paying a ridiculously low amount per mile of driving.
Granted, if you don't live in California, and more specifically, the Central Valley, you will not be able to get a free EV for 3 years, but the $7500 tax credit is from the federal government, so it's applicable everywhere. I'll be the first one to say it here. EVs are not for everyone. But if you're driving less than 80 miles a day (research shows that most americans drive less than 40 miles a day), then the ranges offered today are more than sufficient. Saying that an EV is expensive is also simply not true (except for Tesla, which is a luxury car).
Electric Cars are slow
Not much to say here, other than this is completely false. My Spark has a 150hp motor, and with the instant torque of 327 lbs/ft, it's extremely fun to drive. You can also push a button to enable sport mode, making it accelerate from 0 to 60 mph is about 7 seconds. That might not sound too fast but it's a compact car, which is super cheap. By comparison, the Tesla P90D goes from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds, making it the fastest sedan in the world. If you consider the fact that it's completely silent during operation and that all the torque is available to you instantly, you can imagine that it feels really good to drive.
The Environment
Before you attack me by saying that EVs are not really good for the environment, and that we are just shifting emissions from burning gasoline to burning coal for generating the electricity, we are not burning the same amount. Consider this: burning 1 gallon of gasoline is equivalent to generating 33 kWh of electricity (look it up on Wikipedia, if you don't believe me). Now 33 kWh is enough to propel an average EV for more than 100 miles (136 miles for my car). This means that generating the electricity to power EVs would produce the same emissions as having the cars burn gasoline, if an internal combustion engine could propel your car for 100 miles using 1 gallon of gas. An this must be combined MPG, not highway only. Most gasoline cars available today have a 25 MPG combined, meaning that burning gasoline produces 4 times the emissions of generating electricity for the same distance travelled.
It's true, gas cars are getting more efficient but soon we will hit the theoretical limits of the internal combustion engine, meaning that it will never be much more efficient than it is today. On the contrary, as we clean up the grid, by using more renewable sources of energy, the emissions needed for EVs will drop significantly. The theoretical limit there is zero emissions overall, if energy for our grid was generated 100% by solar and wind.
Not much choice
Here is a list of electric cars available today. Some of them are not available everywhere.
Available everywhere:
Tesla Model S, Model X (Model 3 announced and coming in future, possibly soon) Nissan Leaf BMW i3 Mitsubishi i-MiEV
Available in selected locations only (compliance cars):
Chevrolet Spark EV Chevrolet Bolt EV (coming soon) Fiat 500e Kia Soul EV Ford Focus Electric VW e-Golf Honda Fit EV
These are just from memory. I may have left out some. Other than the Tesla Model S and Model X, all cars listed above are affordable. The ones listed as coming soon, (Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3) will be affordable as well as long range (more than 200 miles a charge).
Also, these are just pure electric vehicles. There are also many plug-in hybrid vehicles which I have not talked about at all. These are vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt, which are able to travel a certain number of miles in pure EV mode, before the gasoline engine kicks in. Available pure EV ranges for plug-in hybrids vary between 20 - 50 miles. With a car like that you can do all your local driving on pure EV, and long distance on ICE.
Summary
Thank you for reading this far. In summary I just want to say that the whole myth that electric cars are not ready for mainstream and that we are still decades away is completely untrue. Having a 60kWh battery in an EV is now cheap enough to put in a $30000 car. A battery like that will take you more than 200 miles, and with current fast charging technology, it can be recharged in minutes, not hours. Combine that with the fact that electricity is cheap, there are very low maintenance costs and let's not forget, it's good for the environment. With all that in mind, Apple could do an amazing electric car because all the technology that is needed for one is available today.
Also, why is it that on all Apple mockups, the logo is splashed EVERYWHERE in such horrible, tacky fashion? Apple is very conservative when using it's logo, I've only ever seen a maximum of ONE on its products, and often its not even in a visible portion.
Watched the first three minutes. These guys actually take themselves seriously. I have a high school education and zero experience in car design. And I'm not being paid to sit around thinking about this stuff, nor have I spent much time thinking about it, which tells you it doesn't take much effort and thought to arrive at a more interesting future than all the resources Motor Trend threw at it. Here is my vision, such as it is...
Apple might be looking to disrupt the nascent car-as-a-service segment, which has the potential to become a very large slice of the future of personal transportation. This would imply Apple would build functional vehicles with stylish but durable interiors, keeping costs down. The cars would represent a recurring revenue service rather than a one-time sale, and the market is represented by every dense population center around the world. Apple needs only create a few centralized charging depots at strategic locations near a population center, then unleash a swarm of Apple cars to serve that geographic area. Tight integration with an iPhone and Watch app would allow users to request a car, indicating their destination, either for immediate pickup or future pickup, calculated to ensure arrival at a specified time. Toss in regularly scheduled pickups, like taking the kids to school daily, and Apple could optimize the utilization, driving revenues and profits. The possibilities to create a seemless car service are coming into focus, as is the technology. This is where I think Apple is going.
First generation vehicles, as they age, could be shifted to overseas markets, replaced in premium markets with the latest models. This would extend the usable life of each vehicle, maximizing revenues. Also, swarms (fleets) dedicated to specific dense population centers would imply that Apple could concentrate its mapping initiatives to just those areas where it intends to roll out its self-driving service, and that means they could do a very good job mapping each area, which would assist the cars' self-driving systems and help to optimize routing of the cars, making the whole fleet more efficient and maximizing utilization.
I just found out about this company. They're a free car sharing service, sponsored by ads. They have a very limited service area, but this could be huge for places like NY. : https://www.waivecar.com
The point being, a generation that has no interest in buying cars (or pretty much anything, really) will glom onto these low-hanging options like flies on a pizza.
A battery like that will take you more than 200 miles, and with current fast charging technology, it can be recharged in minutes, not hours.
Although the charging stations are not that plentiful, in some areas such as California it is definitely doable to drive from LA to SF for example. It may take a while longer to charge a battery than to fill a gas tank, but I usually like to take a break from driving every 3-4 hours anyway. Get a bite to eat, stretch the legs, so if you plan your trip it can work out just fine. The key word is plan. Know where the charging stations are along your route. With a gasoline car, you can just drive and when the fuel gets low just look for a gas station sign. EV recharging is not quite there.
That's the first car that came to mind when I saw that shape. You would think MotorTrend would give Apple more credit than just taking an Aztek and chopping off the front end.
That's the first car that came to mind when I saw that shape. You would think MotorTrend would give Apple more credit than just taking an Aztek and chopping off the front end.
Honestly, it looks like they took the Magic Mouse and added wheels. Let's hope it's not intended to be charged in the same way the mouse is
Comments
Enough said! I don't even watch the video when I see the picture!
As for anyone predicting what Apple is going to do, has anyone, ever gotten that correct, especially for a totally new product? Remember all the mockups of the Apple Watch - not one even came close, for better or worse.
the Apple car will probably kill the company.
Yeah, so Apple can officially admit that "ITS" car is not going to be that ugly?
And all glass--- oh wait... darn!
Limited Range and Slow Charging
First of all, why is it impractical to have a range of less than 400 miles? Even some internal combustion engine (ICE) will struggle to go 400 miles on 1 tank. I know what you're thinking: "But wait a minute, I can refuel my car and get back on the road in minutes". This is true, but how long do you think it takes to refuel an electric vehicle? The answer is, it depends. If your car has super-charging capability (or DC Fast Charging, as it's known for non Teslas), then you can recharge an empty battery in 15-20 minutes. That's not a typo, I have never spent more than 20 minutes at a charging location.
Don't believe me? Do the math: a typical (non-Tesla) EV has a 20kWh battery. The super-charger pumps 400 volts DC at the rate of 50-60kW. That means a 20kWh battery will be filled in a third of an hour, or 20 minutes. My car has a 17kWh battery so it's less than 20 minutes for me. That energy is then good for 80 miles of travel, on average. A Tesla super-charger runs at 120 kW, so it's more than twice as fast as the regular ones. If you then consider the locations of these super-chargers, they are not like gas stations. They are located in parking lots of malls, restaurants and other public places, making it convenient for you to grab some food or coffee, do your grocery shopping, etc, while your car is charging.
How many of these fast charging station are available. You can check on the PlugShare app or website. They are available in California along almost every major freeway. There are also plans for aggressive expansion. I don't know exact details but I know the same is true for many other states and countries.
So that's fast charging.
You can also charge at home, it's much slower but it gets the job done in 2-5 hours, depending on your car's on-board charger. If you plug it in overnight, it will be fully-charged and ready for you in the morning. Not having to go to gas stations is surprisingly pleasant. I never realized what a chore it actually is until I didn't have to do it anymore.
Electric Cars are Expensive
So how much does it cost to operate an EV? Here in California, we pay on average 20c per kWh, so for a 20 kWh battery, that's $4 to recharge. As mentioned earlier, 20 kWh is good for 80 miles on average, but if you're driving in city traffic, you will get closer to 100 miles out of your 20 kWh battery. That's right, EVs are more efficient in city driving rather than highway driving. That is because they do not have gearboxes. Imagine driving your ICE car on the freeway on 1st gear. You would use up more gas than if you drove in 1st gear in city. Anyway, the cost of operating a non-Tesla EV is 4c per mile, if you pay for all the electricity.
Many public stations offer free charging (just to clarify, these are not DC Fast Charging Stations, they are the same ones as you can get at home). Also, many employers offer free charging to employees. Almost every EV driver I know takes advantage of these free chargers, so if you play the game right, your cost of operating your EV could be $0.
In addition to a very low cost of driving, there are practically no maintenance costs. There is no oil, no air filter, no timing belt, no spark plugs, in fact there are almost no moving parts. There is only a battery, an alternator and a motor. When I take my car for a service, all they do is rotate the tires and fill up the windshield washer fluid. Even brake pads last forever on an EV because of the regenerative braking system, which uses the motor as a generator when you let go of the accelerator. This slows down the car significantly, so when I press the brake pedal the car is moving at 5 mph. This just takes some getting used to and it can be disabled if you don't like it. But you should use it because it increases your range.
All that's left is the cost of buying or leasing the car. Here in California, there are many incentives. If you buy, you get a $7500 federal tax credit and $2500 check from the state. If you live in the Central Valley, you get an additional $3000 from the local authorities. There are a ton of other incentives but these are the major ones. That means it's up to $13 000 less than MSRP. If you lease the car, you don't get the federal tax credit but you're still entitled to the other rebates. The dealership then gets the tax credit and they use it to lower your monthly payments. My car is a Chevrolet Spark EV, MSRP $25000. I am leasing it for $139 a month. With taxes and everything it came to $150 a month. It was also 0 down, but I ended up paying $1000 upfront for various delivery fees, DMV registration fees, etc. I got a check from the state for $2500 and from the Central valley for $3000. So that's $5500 worth of rebates, which is equivalent to 36 monthly payments of $150. That's right, I leased the car for free. I just paid the $1000 for delivery fee, I'm paying insurance and I'm paying a ridiculously low amount per mile of driving.
Granted, if you don't live in California, and more specifically, the Central Valley, you will not be able to get a free EV for 3 years, but the $7500 tax credit is from the federal government, so it's applicable everywhere. I'll be the first one to say it here. EVs are not for everyone. But if you're driving less than 80 miles a day (research shows that most americans drive less than 40 miles a day), then the ranges offered today are more than sufficient. Saying that an EV is expensive is also simply not true (except for Tesla, which is a luxury car).
Electric Cars are slow
Not much to say here, other than this is completely false. My Spark has a 150hp motor, and with the instant torque of 327 lbs/ft, it's extremely fun to drive. You can also push a button to enable sport mode, making it accelerate from 0 to 60 mph is about 7 seconds. That might not sound too fast but it's a compact car, which is super cheap. By comparison, the Tesla P90D goes from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds, making it the fastest sedan in the world. If you consider the fact that it's completely silent during operation and that all the torque is available to you instantly, you can imagine that it feels really good to drive.
The Environment
Before you attack me by saying that EVs are not really good for the environment, and that we are just shifting emissions from burning gasoline to burning coal for generating the electricity, we are not burning the same amount. Consider this: burning 1 gallon of gasoline is equivalent to generating 33 kWh of electricity (look it up on Wikipedia, if you don't believe me). Now 33 kWh is enough to propel an average EV for more than 100 miles (136 miles for my car). This means that generating the electricity to power EVs would produce the same emissions as having the cars burn gasoline, if an internal combustion engine could propel your car for 100 miles using 1 gallon of gas. An this must be combined MPG, not highway only. Most gasoline cars available today have a 25 MPG combined, meaning that burning gasoline produces 4 times the emissions of generating electricity for the same distance travelled.
It's true, gas cars are getting more efficient but soon we will hit the theoretical limits of the internal combustion engine, meaning that it will never be much more efficient than it is today. On the contrary, as we clean up the grid, by using more renewable sources of energy, the emissions needed for EVs will drop significantly. The theoretical limit there is zero emissions overall, if energy for our grid was generated 100% by solar and wind.
Not much choice
Here is a list of electric cars available today. Some of them are not available everywhere.
Available everywhere:
Tesla Model S, Model X (Model 3 announced and coming in future, possibly soon)
Nissan Leaf
BMW i3
Mitsubishi i-MiEV
Available in selected locations only (compliance cars):
Chevrolet Spark EV
Chevrolet Bolt EV (coming soon)
Fiat 500e
Kia Soul EV
Ford Focus Electric
VW e-Golf
Honda Fit EV
These are just from memory. I may have left out some. Other than the Tesla Model S and Model X, all cars listed above are affordable. The ones listed as coming soon, (Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3) will be affordable as well as long range (more than 200 miles a charge).
Also, these are just pure electric vehicles. There are also many plug-in hybrid vehicles which I have not talked about at all. These are vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt, which are able to travel a certain number of miles in pure EV mode, before the gasoline engine kicks in. Available pure EV ranges for plug-in hybrids vary between 20 - 50 miles. With a car like that you can do all your local driving on pure EV, and long distance on ICE.
Summary
Thank you for reading this far. In summary I just want to say that the whole myth that electric cars are not ready for mainstream and that we are still decades away is completely untrue. Having a 60kWh battery in an EV is now cheap enough to put in a $30000 car. A battery like that will take you more than 200 miles, and with current fast charging technology, it can be recharged in minutes, not hours. Combine that with the fact that electricity is cheap, there are very low maintenance costs and let's not forget, it's good for the environment. With all that in mind, Apple could do an amazing electric car because all the technology that is needed for one is available today.
Also, why is it that on all Apple mockups, the logo is splashed EVERYWHERE in such horrible, tacky fashion? Apple is very conservative when using it's logo, I've only ever seen a maximum of ONE on its products, and often its not even in a visible portion.
The point being, a generation that has no interest in buying cars (or pretty much anything, really) will glom onto these low-hanging options like flies on a pizza.