Apple predicted to announce 'Apple Car' tech in 2021

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited August 2021
Lithium-ion battery pioneer and Nobel Prize winner Akira Yoshino believes that Apple could announce some type of electric vehicle initiative by the end of 2021.

Credit: AppleInsider
Credit: AppleInsider


Yoshino made the prediction in a recent interview with Reuters focused on battery technology. Yoshino, an honorary fellow at Japanese chemical firm Asahi Kasei, won the 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on lithium-ion batteries.

Speaking about the future of electric vehicles, Yoshino noted that the IT industry -- and not just automakers -- is increasingly looking at mobility. He specifically called out Apple as "the one to look out for." The Cupertino tech giant is said to be working on some type of "Apple Car."

"The one to look out for is Apple. What will they do? I think they may announce something soon," Yoshino said. "And what kind of car would they announce? What kind of battery? They probably want to get in around 2025. If they do that, I think they have to announce something by the end of this year. That's just my own personal hypothesis."

Apple has reportedly been working on an auto initiative under the codename Project Titan since 2014. The endeavor has been beset by restructurings and changes in direction. Now, Apple's car project is said to be focused on creating a self-driving electric vehicle again.

Earlier in 2021, the company was reportedly in talks with Korean automakers about manufacturing the "Apple Car." Those talks have since ended, but a report earlier in August suggested that the company was making contact with EV component manufacturers.

A timeline for an "Apple Car" announcement has been widely debated. Some rumors indicated that Apple could begin producing an "Apple Car" by 2024, though other reports suggest that an Apple self-driving vehicle is at least five to seven years away.

In addition to his Apple prediction, Yoshino also spoke about the possibility of fuel cell technology and wireless charging for electric cars. The full interview is available here.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,650member
    Not at all clear that apple “has to” make a public announcement in 2021 for a 2025 product release. 

    I can imagine that’s what a typical company would do, though, so maybe that’s what’s he is thinking.
  • Reply 2 of 17
    dk49dk49 Posts: 287member
    But why would Apple be announcing their product so early? What's compelling them to do so? Apple is the last company on the planet to reveal product they are building, even if it's publicly leaked. 
    boxcatcher
  • Reply 3 of 17
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 3,200member
    Probably March 2022 and announced with iOS and Mac OS integrations. 
  • Reply 4 of 17
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,048member
    blastdoor said:
    Not at all clear that apple “has to” make a public announcement in 2021 for a 2025 product release. 

    I can imagine that’s what a typical company would do, though, so maybe that’s what’s he is thinking.
    I was thinking the same. I imagine the announcement would just be because of the vast amount of information that might necessarily become public anyway due to certifications, manufacturing deals, etc. So much info is floating around anyway. 
  • Reply 5 of 17
    MisterKitMisterKit Posts: 517member
    There are so many other electric vehicles already on the road today. Apple is getting to the table late unless they pull something off which is several generations ahead of the competition. And well, the did just that with the M1 silicon.
    ramanpfaffravnorodomapplesnoranges
  • Reply 6 of 17
    oberpongooberpongo Posts: 191member
    MisterKit said:
    There are so many other electric vehicles already on the road today. Apple is getting to the table late unless they pull something off which is several generations ahead of the competition. And well, the did just that with the M1 silicon.
    They were also
    late to The MP3 player table. And
    late to the phone table and
    late to the smartwatch table and
    late to the Wireless headphone table
    ….
    sconosciutofastasleepScot1ravnorodomapplguyradarthekatapplesnorangesbyronl
  • Reply 7 of 17
    thttht Posts: 5,782member
    There's like a 2 to 4 year lag between a new car company announcing a car, and actually driving that car. Apple can probably be on the short end of the time scale as they don't need to raise money to pay for the supply chain or build multiple factories from the ground up, but late 2023 at the earliest, and more likely 2025. Moreover, they seem all in on self-driving, which could push it out to 2027.

    So, uh, nice to hear their plans, wake me up when you can buy one?

    We only have one hard requirement for a new EV: bidirectional charging. It must have that for me to buy, else we wait. Do wish that they make a car without self driving just get the experience in the business.
  • Reply 8 of 17
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,942member
    Traditional large auto manufacturers are announcing few EVs but their target is 2025. By than they will have whole range of EVs in production and available to mass market. If Apple wants to be in EV game than can't miss 2025 window when Apple should have few self driving EV models ready to ship. I am waiting to jump on EV sometime in 2025-26 when price,reliability and range will be similar or better than combustion engine..
  • Reply 9 of 17
    ramanpfafframanpfaff Posts: 144member
    I really doubt they'll say anything about it this year or next. Much greater chance they announce this year that Glasses are coming in spring 2022. IMO.
  • Reply 10 of 17
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,454member
    “have to” 

    Yeah okay right. 
  • Reply 11 of 17
    drewys808drewys808 Posts: 549member
    As far as transport: I feel Apple will be a force in the micro mobility industry before the “flying car”.  Apple doesn’t need to make EVs (in the near term) but will be formidable technology for batteries and operating systems that are part of the EV industry. 
  • Reply 12 of 17
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,650member
    williamh said:
    blastdoor said:
    Not at all clear that apple “has to” make a public announcement in 2021 for a 2025 product release. 

    I can imagine that’s what a typical company would do, though, so maybe that’s what’s he is thinking.
    I was thinking the same. I imagine the announcement would just be because of the vast amount of information that might necessarily become public anyway due to certifications, manufacturing deals, etc. So much info is floating around anyway. 
    Good points! And I guess maybe another reason is that making an announcement might make some folks hold off purchases of competing products to see what apple does. 
    williamh
  • Reply 13 of 17
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,650member
    oberpongo said:
    MisterKit said:
    There are so many other electric vehicles already on the road today. Apple is getting to the table late unless they pull something off which is several generations ahead of the competition. And well, the did just that with the M1 silicon.
    They were also
    late to The MP3 player table. And
    late to the phone table and
    late to the smartwatch table and
    late to the Wireless headphone table
    ….
    Yeah, totally. 

    And they weren’t “late” to the PC market with the apple ii, but where is the apple ii today? 

    Also, the EV market is in its infancy. There’s a long way to go 
  • Reply 14 of 17
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,905moderator
    There’s big competition in the EV and autonomous vehicle market (see Tesla and the host of Chinese startups), and that means there’s stiff competition for the talent needed to drive these initiatives.  Apple should place its marker on the table to enable it to attract more talent away from its competition in this space.  

    And then when it eventually gets going with a product or service we can talk about whether Apple should spin it out as its own company.  This might be wise to avoid any reputational hit should there be a series of accidents (see media piling on to every Tesla crash and vehicle fire) and also to shield its war chest from lawsuits.  Apple could still work closely with the spin off, just as SpaceX transfers technology to Tesla and Tesla will be the obvious candidate to build shuttle vans for The Boring Company.  

    Should be an interesting decade ahead.   
  • Reply 15 of 17
    djbowler325djbowler325 Posts: 1member
    Okay, no. Just NO. Has anyone seen the freaking SCALE of GIGA FACTORY? IT'S GINORMOUS. And TESLA HAS FIVE! FIVE! AND by the time 2025 rolls around, they'll have EIGHT. APPLE will only sell software 
  • Reply 16 of 17
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,454member
    Okay, no. Just NO. Has anyone seen the freaking SCALE of GIGA FACTORY? IT'S GINORMOUS. And TESLA HAS FIVE! FIVE! AND by the time 2025 rolls around, they'll have EIGHT. APPLE will only sell software 
    No. You don't understand modern Apple. They won't do anything in the realm unless they own the entire stack. Guess how many factories Apple has? Zero. 

    Best of luck with your second post though!
    edited August 2021
  • Reply 17 of 17
    frost_0nefrost_0ne Posts: 16member
    MisterKit said:
    There are so many other electric vehicles already on the road today. Apple is getting to the table late unless they pull something off which is several generations ahead of the competition. And well, the did just that with the M1 silicon.
    What silly, short term thinking. Electric cars currently make up a small percentage of overall car sales each year. The transition to electric, which are overall mechanically simpler than ICE vehicles, is a great opportunity for a cash-rich company like Apple to enter. 
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