Rumors abound on secretive project.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BENGALURU: Apple is working on electric-run iCars that could be ready for roads by 2020, according to a Bloomberg report.
Apple is working quite aggressively on their car project, to compete against Tesla Motors and General Motors that are expected to launch their electric car versions by 2017. These cars are being designed to give a mileage of about 200 miles on a single charge and might cost less than $40,000.
There is no official confirmation from Apple’s side about the rumored iCar project. That said, the company had earlier launched a software platform called CarPlay to link Apple devices with the computer system of vehicles. If the rumors are true, this could have been the company’s first move towards iCars.
Earlier, Reuters and The Wall Street Journal had reported that more than a 100 Apple employees are working on an underground project codenamed Titan, which could be the iCar.
Apple might acquire Tesla to cut short the time spent on developing an indigenous EV, say some experts. If this acquisition is sealed, Apple could bring almost 150 of its former employees who currently work for Tesla back to California.
Former CEO of GM Dan Akerson has a different opinion and he had serious doubts whether Apple will ever be successful in the automobile industry. He was quoted by Bloomberg as saying, “I think somebody is kind of trying to cough up a hairball here. If I were an Apple shareholder, I wouldn’t be very happy.”