The Apple Car project was canceled before it saw the light of day, and Apple has never publicly acknowledged the project, but thanks to various insiders, we know many details about it. A new report reveals details about a partnership between Apple and BYD to develop batteries for the so-called Apple Car.
Apple wanted to use BYD batteries in its electric cars
According to reports bloomberg On Wednesday, Apple worked closely with Chinese automaker BYD. The two companies reportedly reached an agreement to manufacture batteries using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries around 2017. The technology significantly increased the autonomy of cars and was considered safer than typical electric car batteries.
BYD has its own electric vehicles, but the batteries produced in partnership with Apple will be designed specifically for the Apple Car. Apple selected engineers specializing in advanced battery packs and thermal management to work on this project, and BYD contributed manufacturing know-how and advances using LFP batteries.
When Apple was looking for a partner to work on its car project, BYD reportedly approached the company to showcase an early version of its Blade battery. Apple executives were reportedly surprised by the battery’s safety and capacity and ultimately chose to work with the Chinese company. Blade batteries are now one of the selling points of BYD vehicles.
Despite having worked with BYD for years, Apple has reportedly backed away from the partnership to consider other companies’ systems.
Apple Car project details
After the Apple Car project was canceled, many people involved in the project revealed details. The idea to build a car was floated at Apple in 2014, and the company reportedly talked to a number of automakers, including Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and even Tesla, to collaborate.
This project has had many variations since its initial concept. There were challenges in building the fully self-driving car that Apple executives wanted, so the company later revisited the project with a less ambitious approach. Still, building a car seemed too complicated for Apple, and the company canceled the Titan project.
According to estimates, the car project cost Apple more than $1 billion a year, but the company planned to sell the car for about $120,000.
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