Apple’s been planning on building an electric car since as early as 2014. While most of those plans were limited to concept development, they did attempt to woo Tesla employees over. Partnerships with Magna were hinted at, as well as speculation that Faraday Futures was actually a to-be-announced Apple car.
Eventually, the focus drifter to autonomous driving software. Instead of an actual EV, it seemed that Apple would get in the business of self-driving technologies. Meetings with actual car manufacturers were made, including high-end brands like BMW and Mercedes. While these didn’t pan out, Apple did agree to build an autonomous shuttle bus with Volkswagen. Frankly, though, that’s super underwhelming.
In 2018, an Apple self-driving car was involved in a car crash, when it was rear-ended during testing. BBC reported at the time that Apple had 66 autonomous cars on the road, with eleven dedicated drivers. Though the accident wasn’t Apple’s fault, and no one was injured, the self-driving department laid off 200 employees the following year.
Not looking good, right? Yet, late last year, Reuters reports that Apple has set a 2024 launch date for their EV. Key to this is a ‘next-level’ battery technology that could decrease both weight and costs significantly.
Apple May Be One of the Few Brands
to Challenge the Cachet of Tesla
Even if this new battery tech exists, will Apple be able to produce a vehicle on the scale necessary to be viable? They do have a proven history with consumer electronics. However, Tesla has demonstrated the amount of time and money to become a profitable car company.
The solution to this appears to another car company that has established itself as a contender in the automotive world. Hyundai has overcome its roots as an entry-level econo-builder to a world-class brand with legitimate luxury and sports car offerings, thanks to Genesis and Kia. Though an official partnership with Apple hasn’t been confirmed, Hyundai has acknowledged that they are in talks with the Cupertino-based company.
While still not a sure thing, a team-up between these two companies would imply a high likelihood of success. Apple remains one of the most aspirational brands globally, and Hyundai has earned its bonafide as a builder of quality vehicles. That combination might be what is needed to tackle Tesla as the head of the EV market.
