Apple's first car will be completely self-driving - no steering wheel or pedals
Miscellaneous / / November 19, 2021
Many previously unknown details and new more ambitious launch dates.
Apple is accelerating development of its electric vehicle and reorienting it towards fully autonomous driving. About this with reference to sources familiar with the project writes Bloomberg.
- The Apple car is not supposed to have steering and pedals, but the possibility of equipping an emergency manual mode is still under discussion.
- The interior of the car will be made in approximately the same design as that of the Lifestyle from Canoo, where passengers sit opposite each other, like in a limousine.
- The center of the cabin should have a large iPad-like touchscreen so that users can interact with the infotainment system while driving.
- The car must be integrated with existing Apple services and devices.
- The key chip for the control system is almost ready. It is based on a variety of neural processors that can process operations using the artificial intelligence systems required for autonomous driving.
Over the past few years, Apple's automotive division has explored two possible paths: building a model with limited autonomous control capabilities and versions with a full-fledged autopilot that does not require intervention person. Under the leadership of a new project leader, Apple Watch software head Kevin Lynch, the engineers focused on the second option.
Bloomberg notes that such a decision by Apple is akin to a race for the Holy Grail. Many auto giants have spent years building autonomous vehicles, but they hardly come close to a model that does not require human input. Neither Tesla, Waymo, nor any other company has done much at this.
Apple is aiming to launch its self-driving car in just four years, although it was previously slated to launch its debut model in 5-7 years. But the timeline is flexible, and achieving this goal by 2025 depends on the company's ability to complete the autopilot system, although this is a very ambitious task for such a timetable. If Apple fails to achieve this goal, it can either delay the project or launch the car first with less advanced control technologies.