Apple’s plans to develop an electric and driverless car featuring its own battery technology are reportedly back on the table, with a new target production date estimated for 2024.
“People familiar with the matter” told Reuters that Apple is progressing with its autonomous car technology – known as Project Titan – and is planning to produce a passenger vehicle in four years’ time.
The mass-market car could include Apple’s own battery design that would aim to “radically” reduce the cost of batteries and increase the vehicle’s range.
據報導，蘋果計劃開發具有其自身電池技術的電動無人駕駛汽車的計劃已被推遲，新的目標生產日期預計為2024年。
“熟悉此事的人”告訴路透社，蘋果公司正在開發其自動駕駛汽車技術-被稱為“泰坦計劃”，併計劃在四年後生產乘用車。
大眾市場的汽車可能包括蘋果自己的電池設計，旨在“徹底”降低電池成本並增加車輛續航里程。
Apple to develop own “next level” EV battery｜蘋果開發自己的“下一級”電動汽車電池
These improved specifications would be possible with the use of “mono-cell” batteries, which use larger cells to allow for more compact battery packs that are capable of delivering longer range than conventional multi-cell batteries.
Apple is also reportedly testing a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry for the battery as an alternative to the lithium-ion rechargeable battery typically used in electric cars, as it is less likely to overheat and would be safer.
Reuter’s sources compare the upcoming technology to the release of the first iPhone in 2007.
“It’s next level,” said the source about Apple’s battery technology. “Like the first time you saw the iPhone.”
The automotive developments, known as Project Titan, begun in 2014 and have advanced in a stop-and-start manner since then.
In December 2016, Apple acknowledged for the first time that it was investing in autonomous car technology by writing a letter to US transport regulators in which the company said it was “excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation”.
Later, in April 2017, Apple secured a license to test its self-driving car technology in California.
這些改進的規格將通過使用“單節電池”來實現，“單節電池”使用更大的電池單元以允許比傳統的多節電池組能夠提供更長續航里程的更緊湊的電池組。
據報導，蘋果公司還在測試該電池的磷酸鐵鋰（LFP）化學成分，以替代通常用於電動汽車的鋰離子可充電電池，因為它不太可能過熱，而且更安全。
路透社的消息人士將即將推出的技術與2007年發布的首款iPhone進行了比較。
有關蘋果電池技術的消息人士說：“這是下一個台階。” “就像您第一次看到iPhone一樣。”
汽車開發項目稱為Project Titan，始於2014年，此後以停停的方式發展。
2016年12月，蘋果首次致函美國運輸監管機構，以表示對“自動駕駛系統在許多領域，包括運輸領域的潛力感到興奮”，這是蘋果首次承認自己正在投資自動駕駛汽車技術。
後來在2017年4月，蘋果獲得了在加利福尼亞州測試其自動駕駛汽車技術的許可證。
Apple-branded self-driving car set for 2024｜蘋果品牌自動駕駛汽車將在2024年推出
The two sources who are “familiar with the effort” asked not to be named, as Apple’s plans have not yet been made public. They commented that the estimated date of 2024 could be pushed back to 2025 or later due to effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, sources from local manufacturers told Taiwanese newspaper Economic Daily News that the release could actually be much earlier, towards the end of 2021.
According to the supply chain, Apple recently put forward stocking requirements to Taiwanese auto parts factories such as Heda (1536), Bizlink-KY, Heqin, and Tomita. It also claims a prototype of the car has been tested on the roads in California.
Sources have said that, like the iPhone, which is manufactured by Taiwan-based Foxconn (also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., LTD), the vehicle is likely to be built by an outside company rather than being an Apple-branded car.
The company could also resort to simply designing the autonomous driving system that would then be installed into other cars made by mainstream automakers such as BMW, for example.
An electric car would be in line with Apple’s new sustainability goals. The technology brand has pledged to become carbon-neutral by 2030 by reducing emissions and developing carbon removal technologies.
兩位不願透露姓名的消息人士要求不願透露姓名，因為蘋果的計劃尚未公開。他們評論說，由于冠狀病毒大流行的影響，預計2024年的日期可以推遲到2025年或更晚。
然而，當地製造商的消息來源告訴台灣報紙《經濟日報》，該發布實際上可能要早得多，直到2021年底。
根據供應鏈，蘋果最近向台灣的汽車零部件工廠提出了庫存要求，例如和田（1536），Bizlink-KY，合勤和富田。它還聲稱該車的原型已經在加利福尼亞的道路上進行了測試。
消息人士稱，與台灣富士康（又稱鴻海精密工業股份有限公司）生產的iPhone一樣，該車很可能是由外部公司製造的，而不是蘋果品牌的車。 。
該公司還可以簡單地設計自動駕駛系統，然後將其安裝到由寶馬等主流汽車製造商生產的其他汽車中。
電動汽車將符合蘋果公司新的可持續發展目標。該技術品牌承諾到2030年通過減少排放量和開發除碳技術來實現碳中和。
FROM:https://www.dezeen.com/2020/12/23/apple-self-driving-car-2024-design/
