Yup. Apple’s electric car is definitely real, and according to recently leaked documents, Project Titan is almost ready for testing.
The first rumors of Apple’s electric car surfaced at the beginning of 2015, and the Guardian reported that an official announcement was to be expected in 2020. Currently, Apple is trying to secure their super-secret Bay Area test facility. But this could very well be a distraction – corporate spies are real ladies and gents!
Earlier this year, in May, some Apple engineers met with GoMentum Station officials. The Guardian reports that the company is planning on turning a 2,100-acre former military naval base located near the San Francisco area into a secure place where they can test their self-driving cars.
Apple engineer Frank Fearon responded to some documents that were revealed due to a public records act request. He notes that the company would very much like to first have a better understanding of timing, availability for the space, and how other third-parties will get involved.
Of course, it’s too early to talk about details, and features of Apple’s electric car. What we do know at the current moment is that Tim Cook has green-lit the project back in 2014. Since then, a teams of hundreds of engineers have been working secretly on the autonomous car project. They have been piled up at an office building in Sunnyvale starting last year.
If Apple ends using the GoMentum Station, they will have access to the same facility which Mercedes-Benz and Honda used for their own self-driving car prototypes. The World War II facility has 20 miles of paved highways, city streets, and is considered to be one of the largest secure test facilities in the world.
The GoMentum Station has already-built cattle grids, tunnels, railway crossings, highway overpasses, and about everything that Apple has dreamed of. It’s the perfect realistic scenario for testing an autonomous vehicle.
Fan Made Concept
But this isn’t the best part of the facility. You see, it’s guarded 24/7 by the military, and Apple fanboys, or corporate spies won’t have it easy if they’re planning on taking a sneak peek at Apple’s electric car.
In February of 2015, Apple hired ex-president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz R&D, Johann Jungwirth. He has taken the position of Apple’s Director of Mac Systems Engineering.
There are even rumors that Apple is trying to make a play, and acquire Tesla in the near future. But these reports have no foundation, and are just wild speculations. Jason Calacanis’ prediction is that considering how Tim Cook is just obsessed with renewable energy, and how Apple is the only one capable of buying Tesla for $75 billion, the Cupertino-based company will acquire Musk’s golden child in 18 months.
Calacanis’ even goes as far as naming Elon Musk as the CEO of Apple in the near future. Even though this sounds like a huge stretch.
If you want to dig deeper into this, read Calacanis’ blog.
But how does Project Titan bode with Google’s transparency? Google’s self driving cars have been into a few accidents since they’ve started to roam on public streets. The big G notes that their vehicles weren’t at fault. All of the unfortunate events, which were mainly rear endings, were committed by human error.
Google is taking a lot of thrash talk from the public, and US-based organization Consumer Watchdog, because they aren’t transparent enough.
How does Apple with their Project Titan think they will be able to please average Joes, and organizations like Consumer Watchdog if they keep everything under a tight, sealed lid?
What do you think is in store for Apple’s electric car? Tell us in the comments section down below.
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