Not long after the news that Google’s driverless cars had officially hit the roads in the United States, a new report has revealed that Apple’s secret electric car project has attracted one of Europe’s leading motor industry experts.
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple had hired Doug Betts, an automotive executive from Fiat Chrysler who boasts nearly 30 years’ experience in the industry.
The project, which has been given the internal code-name Titan, was first revealed after news leaked that Apple had hired automotive experts to assist in an “˜off-campus‘ research lab. At the helm of the project is The report also pinpoints the head of the project is Steve Zedesky ““ a former Ford engineer who also was on the development team for the iPod and iPhone.
Rumours indicate that Project Titan apparently resembles a minivan, and might be as autonomous as Google’s own series of driverless cars. What is known so far is that Apple is developing the vehicle in a project outside of their own Cupertino campus, and potentially in a facility under-construction in Cork, Ireland.
Indications from court cases between Apple and A123 Systems (which has accused the Cupertino company of poaching battery-researching employees) point to the fact that Apple aims to produce an electric car in an effort to go head-to-head with fellow American company Tesla.
Additionally, Apple is also seeking to bolster its mapping service, simply known as Maps. Despite the lacklustre launch of the service in 2013, the company has hired a fleet of camera-rigged vehicles which, while apparently facilitating an Apple equivalent of Google’s Street View, could also be testing self-driving car technologies.
Ultimately, what is to be expected is that Apple’s vehicle won’t be available for purchase for several years; the Project Titan facility was only established last year.
Do you think that Apple’s driverless car could ably compete with Google’s? Let us know in the comments below!
