Apple electric car release window estimate, price & specs rumors

When will Apple Car reach its destination?

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Exciting news ahead with our Apple electric car release date prediction. We’ll also be discussing the Apple electric car price and specs to get you up to speed with Apple’s latest big venture. Now that the bulk of big Apple announcements are out there following their WWDC keynote on June 5th, there may be a little disappointment to hear that Apple CEO Tim Cook shared nothing new on the Apple electric car.

The WWDC technically continues on for the rest of the week until June 9th, but these remaining days are generally reserved for demonstrations on their announced tech, while giving developers the chance to learn about the updates and changes in detail. Some of big announcements included the Vision Pro, Mac desktops and operating system updates (iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14, and watchOS 10).

This project, codenamed Project Titan, has been in the works for a number of years. Especially since talks of self-driving cars have been circulating for many years now. Could Apple be putting more out there about the Apple electric car in the near future? Recent news points towards scaling back the self-driving aspect, but there is still much more to learn about this electric vehicle (EV).

Let’s show off what we know so far and predict the Apple Car, Apple electric car, or even iCar release date & more based on current information.

Apple electric car release date window speculation

Predicting a release date for the Apple electric car can be a tricky task, as nothing has been publicly revealed just yet. However, current plans point towards a predicted 2026 release date. Wider testing on the Apple Car / iCar may begin as soon as 2025. The development process hasn’t been simple though, with several pushbacks causing some uncertainty on these dates. So, it could still a while before the car is production-ready.

Reports say that it’s been a long 12 years since Apple first eyed up the possibility of releasing an electric car. We thought that perhaps the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 5th would give us more answers. Something to marvel at outside the usual iPhone and iOS news.

Apple electric car price prediction

There are some estimates out there for the Apple electric car already. Without any official word available, we look to rumors and speculation for our price prediction. For a while now, the figure of $100,000 has been mentioned online. This is a target that Apple want to price below – if they want to compete against a giant like Tesla. MacRumors point out that even at $100,000, it would only really compare to the high-end Tesla Model S.

Bloomberg reported that Apple initially had a projected price of around $120,000. However the scaled back design we discuss below means that this figure could see a sizeable drop. Even still, there’s no doubt that the final product will be expensive.

Apple electric car specs & design rumors – what we know so far

When it comes to the specs – or rather design – of the Apple electric car, reports over its long development phase have revealed that it’s been a challenging process for Apple. As we said, the latest reports show that Apple are scaling back on the self-driving aspect of their upcoming electric car. Initially they aimed for a fully autonomous car that has no need for driver operation; this is something that has yet to be achieved in practice.

Self-driving design

Investopedia report that huge design changes mean the car will only initially provide autonomous driving on the freeway. This means full control, including use of the steering wheel, still needs to be assumed by the driver. This is not surprising given the challenges that self-driving cars face. The Verge reported that the Apple Car project prototype was seen running into roadblocks and even had a close encounter with an unsuspecting jogger. It’s easy to see why Apple would back away from a fully autonomous vehicle with these issues.

Early rumors also showed that Apple could be working with TSMC for processors or chips in the Apple Car, and their acquisition of Drive.ai shows that they still want to push the self-driving design thanks to machine learning.

Chassis design

As you expect with Apple, they want to create something that stands out from the rest. The chassis could be unlike any car, but compromises always put a spanner in the works. They originally planned a design for four seats facing inwards towards each other, but the radical changes to the self-driving aspect will affect this – likely making it more similar to a Tesla-like design.

Dashboard / tablet design

For the dashboard, or a central media center, it’s possible that an iPad style design will be put into place. This is pretty similar to what Tesla have already implemented. If this is the case, it will no doubt be integrated with your other Apple devices on one of their operating systems or platforms. Safety features and battery information could be an integral part of this display as well.

Apple electric car patents

In the long development process of Project Titan, Apple have filed many patents and applications which can give us an insight into their thought process and design. However, since this has been in the works for a long time, plenty of things could have changed since these patents were filed. Even back in 2016, AppleInsider were reporting on a autonomous vehicle collision avoidance system to be put into place in the upcoming Apple Car. However, it’s likely that many of these features could be scaled back by now. Other patents include the ‘Comfort Profiles’ which proposedly detects the stress levels of passengers and changes the driving style of the autonomous vehicle to accommodate. Again though, with many self-driving features being cut back, this seems like one which may be put aside.

Jumping forward to 2022, much more is being developed in terms of machine learning. One patent from this time describes the massive amount of machine learning that has to take place to create a fully autonomous car, which Apple have seemed to have admitted is too hard a task to achieve with current technology. Even with the self-driving capabilities stripped down, there are still going to be some implemented in certain situations. This is where situational awareness notices will come in handy. Something like an iPad or Apple Watch could be connected to the Apple Car and will ping you notifications while the EV is in self-driving mode to keep you alert.

Is Apple launching an electric car?

Plans are in place for Apple to launch an electric car in a couple years time. From what we know, Apple have been developing this for a long time – possibly more than a decade. In that time, plenty of competition has arrived to help shape the design. However, the list of alleged employees and other affiliations on the Wikipedia page shows that some key figures are working on the project. Ex-employees of companies such as Tesla, Volkswagen, and even Nvidia involved. One report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman revealed that AI chief John Giannandrea took over the development of the project.

In a tweet from last year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that Apple should be done with putting together their Apple Car team by now, so it looks like the process has been a struggle to get off the ground for a while now. With news of the Apple electric car, Apple Car (or maybe iCar?) ramping up, we’re getting increasingly excited about the prospect of Apple’s innovation entering the world of automobiles.

Is the Apple electric car self driving?

Early reports say that Apple were planning on creating the world’s first fully automated driverless car. That means without any kind of input from a driver at the wheel or pedals required – an Apple taxi if you will. However, you can imagine the roadblocks that this prospect has run in to, literally.

That means that Apple have scaled back massively on these ambitious plans. Instead, the Apple electric car will instead feature some initial automation, like on highways, but it will still require a driver behind the wheel to switch back to manual control wherever needed. Manual control seems to be a necessity right now, no matter how far AI / machine learning technology has come, especially since Apple are proponents of safety engineering. Current rumors say that any self-driving capabilities will only be initially available in North America.

In 2019, Apple acquired Drive.ai, which are using artificial intelligence to make self-driving systems for cars. Their autonomous systems collect data while on routes to create 3D high definition maps in the effort to support self-driving technology, this is pair with LiDAR sensors to fully capture Apple Maps data.

Will the Apple electric car use LiDAR sensors?

An interesting advancement in the development of the Apple’s electric car is the rumored use of LiDAR sensors. These radar sensors are already being used in rival brands and manufacturers, one example being Mercedes-Benz – with Hyundai and Porsche developing with the tech too for autos as opposed to traditional cameras. This wouldn’t be a massive surprise, as these sensors will be from the same company that provide their LiDAR scanners on the iPhone and iPad Pro.

MacRumors released an article that suggests the self-driving capabilities of the upcoming Apple Car will ‘heavily rely’ on LiDAR sensors from Wenmao, a Chinese supplier. Since there is already an established relationship between these two, so a partnership sounds pretty likely to us.

Apple electric car FAQs

Has Apple announced an electric car?

Apple hasn’t officially announced their electric car just yet. However, we know of its development – and all clues point towards its existence and upcoming release date in the next few years.

Will Apple electric car be safe?

Safety is something that Apple take seriously, as seen in their phones and wearables. They will be aiming to create the safest vehicle they can, even cutting back on self-driving aspects to avoid risks.

Apple electric car release date, price, & specs : Final word

There we have it – everything we know about what Apple is cooking up when it comes to the Apple electric car release date, price, and specs. With the prospect of an Apple-branded car on the horizon, we look forward to any more news regarding the very first Apple vehicle. WWDC 2023 didn’t reveal anything new, but there are always new Apple events to look forward to.