Does Apple have the tech to build self-driving passenger vehicles?

When we first heard that Apple is aiming to launch self-driving car technology by 2024, the first question that looms is whether Apple has the tech? The second question that comes to mind is how efficient a product like that, from Big Tech, could be? And lastly, will iCars revolutionise the automobile industry as iPhones did to phones?

Shares of Tesla ended 6.5% lower on Monday after their debut in the S&P 500. Apple shares ended 1.24% higher after the news. The company has made no public or official announcement related to its plans of an EV but Reuters quoted two sources as confirming that the company wants to roll out cars for consumers, and by 2024.

A background

According to a Reuters report, Apple is moving forward with self-driving car technology. It has targeted to produce a passenger vehicle that could include its own breakthrough battery technology (by 2024). The idea, called Project Titan, began in the year 2014. With it, the tech giant aimed to design and build its own flagship smart-automotive. At one point, Apple drew back the effort to focus on software and reassessed its goals. In 2018, almost 5000 employees were working on a project that did not have a definitive goal. Yet, some reports suggested that as many as 100 Apple cars were running on the street for a test drive. Another report suggested that Apple was working on self-driving related hardware, software and service as a potential product, instead of actual iCars.

Does Apple have the tech?

Many reports have suggested that the design has more active material inside the battery. This will potentially give the car a potentially longer range. It is also looking at an LFP, or lithium iron phosphate battery. This is inherently less likely to overheat and is thus safer than other types of lithium-ion batteries. The Apple car might feature multiple lidar sensors for scanning different distances. Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro models released this year both feature lidar sensors.

Apple has not yet announced who would assemble the car. Some 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 company making the car itself.

Again, the report also said quoted an official from Project Titan, stating, “If there is one company on the planet that has the resources to do that, it’s probably Apple. But at the same time, it’s not a cellphone.” Apple's global scale and footprint also allow it to do things that most other companies can't afford. But then again it took Elon Musk 17 years to make Tesla a self-sustaining profitable business.

How efficient an automotive product from Apple can be?

According to the Reuters report, "Central to Apple’s strategy is a new battery design that could “radically” reduce the cost of batteries and increase the vehicle’s range." The comment had come from a third person who had seen the battery design. The Reuters report also explains that central to Apple’s strategy is a new mono-cell 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.”

Will iCars revolutionise the automobile industry?

Now, Apple has revolutionized the way the world computes, converses and even listens to music. In fact, the company is very proud of its ability to disrupt the market. Yet, mobility is not the area where it has a lot of experience. Yet, with the right push, Apple can revolutionise the market. For instance, the reports suggest that the new battery design may bring down costs while improving range - a very real worry for those considering an EV currently.

Mobility, especially the smart mobility sector needs a hard push from a company known to change the customer experience. If the self-driving cars are sustainable; a range of them is electric vehicles, then the product will change the industry as well ecosystem.