In a surprising development, Apple has shut down its highly ambitious electric car project. According to a recent report from Bloomberg, the American technology giant has canned Project Titan which kickstarted in 2014. The decision, disclosed internally on Tuesday, surprised nearly 2000 employees working on the project.
Reportedly, Apple Inc. has decided to instead focus on generative AI and hence several employees working on the electric car project will be shifted to the firm’s artificial intelligence (AI) division. The project was deemed as a tectonic confluence of two industries— technology and automobile.
Initially, Apple planned on building fully-autonomous electric cars which would be devoid of steering wheel and pedals and use Level 4 driver assistance systems which would be operated via voice commands. Later, this project was dialled down to Level 2+. Even with all the slacks, the revised launch timeline reported for an Apple electric car was set for a distant 2028.
Apple electric car unplugged: Possible reason
While Apple hasn’t officially stated any reason, the global slowdown of electric vehicle sales could be a major cause for this cancellation. There are various other factors which might have put Apple off its path. For example, the cost difference between a battery-powered EV and internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered cars is huge at this point of time.
In recent months, many global brands have cut down on their EV ambitions. Recently, Mercedes-Benz went back on its commitment of going fully electric in markets wherever possible by 2030. Even market leader Tesla has decided to pull back on investments whereas other OEMs are shifting plans to focus on hybrids instead of fully battery-powered cars.
The latest development should be a warning sign for other highly ambitious EV projects like the Xiaomi SU7, the Sony Honda JV called Afeela, and the Google-backed self-driving vehicle project called Waymo. More details regarding Apple’s Project Titan are expected to surface in the coming days.
(With inputs from Agencies)
