Apple Car Development Resets Focus On Autonomous Tech

A new report from Bloomberg states that Apple is ramping up development of the Apple Car, despite several partners backing out of the project for the past year. However, the tech company's main focus is now the vehicle's fully autonomous technology.

We knew all along that the Apple Car would feature some sort of self-driving feature, so what's new? Apple has reportedly been considering two versions of this vehicle. The first would have "limited self-driving capabilities focused on steering and acceleration" which would be common tech such as adaptive cruise control and lane centering assist. On the other hand, the second version would have "full self-driving ability that doesn't require human intervention." This would mean that the driver would have no manual control over the vehicle, so this tech would fall under the Level 5 autonomous category.

Apple is currently testing its self-driving tech on 69 Lexus prototypes.

Even though it would take a lot of work to develop such technology, Apple has decided to switch their focus on the second option. Selling a fully autonomous car makes sense for the tech giant, as simply offering a car with semi-autonomous technology wouldn't be as unique. However, speeding up the Apple Car's development has brought the planned launch back as soon as 2025. Apple claims that they recently reached a "key milestone" with the car's self-driving tech, but insights show that Level 5 autonomy is a long way into the future. Apple also boasted that they are almost done with the "processor it intends to ship in the first generation of the car."

Tesla has just released the beta version of its FSD autonomous driving system.

Bloomberg thinks that if Apple doesn't reach their tight 2025 deadline in time, they might just go with the first option, releasing a fully autonomous version later. They aren't the only ones doubting the Apple Car deadline, as Apple's own engineers were expecting a reveal closer to 2030. Current reports say that the Apple Car will feature a lounge-like cabin with no steering wheel in sight, so all we can say is that whether the Apple Car will offer full autonomy by 2025 is up in the air.

Do you think the Apple Car will arrive by 2025?

Source: Bloomberg, Apple

Images: Andy Wang / Unsplash, Lexus, Tesla