The Apple car might not be fully self-driving, now set to launch in 2026 for around $100,000

[midian182]

In brief: If it feels like we've been writing about Apple's electric self-driving car, aka Project Titan, for years, that's because we have, since 2015, in fact (the design started in 2014). Almost a decade is a long time, but according to new reports, the vehicle's release date has been postponed to 2026, and it might not be self-driving.

Bloomberg writes that Apple has scaled back the self-driving plans for its future electric vehicle, which looked set to be fully autonomous with no steering wheel or pedals. The car was also supposed to feature inward-facing seats.

But creating a vehicle with full level 5 autonomy still presents too many technical, legal, and regulatory issues. As such, the Apple car's self-driving abilities will be scaled down. The EV will have a steering wheel, pedals, and conventional seats, and its fully autonomous capabilities will only be available while on highways. Users will be able to play games or watch videos in these instances, but they must take over driving duties when on city streets or in adverse weather conditions.

Apple hopes to launch these self-driving capabilities in North America first before they arrive in other locations over time. The company is also considering a remote command center to assist drivers and control the car remotely in emergencies. The iPhone maker may also offer its own insurance to buyers.

Apple had intended to sell its first vehicle for $120,000, but it is now aiming for around $100,000, which would put it up against the Tesla Model S. It's still looking for a partner for the project: the only serious talks it had was with Volkswagen many years ago.

It'll be a few years before we see the Apple car. Even the design isn't set to be finalized until next year, while its list of features should arrive in 2024. With testing scheduled to begin in 2025, we could be driving around in the iCar, or whatever Apple calls it, sometime during 2026.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/96886-apple-car-might-not-fully-self-driving-now.html

 

[Ohnooze]

Nice looking car but would be a cold day in hell before I bought anything made by Apple.
Plus I can't afford a car at that price....so there's that.

Is it going to be made by children in china making $2 an hour while they preach social justice? Apple can eat a big "you know" as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Bhaskar Shetty]

The engine will cost extra & will come as an additional add on

 

[Pensiveclown]

That looks awful. And why did they slap a citroen grille on it.
I don't doubt that they will make tons of money off of the gullible apple lovers who wont even question the vehicle before throwing their money at Apple. I doubt the car will be worth much more than half its price.
Oh, and Apple will make sure that it's incompatible with normal charging ports so they can be different from all the other companies and inconvenience their users by making driving long distances impossible.
No matter how overpriced it is and how terrible it is as a car, people will still buy it as a 100k fashion statement.
Just like Tesla!

 

[Ohnooze]

That looks awful. And why did they slap a citroen grille on it.
I don't doubt that they will make tons of money off of the gullible apple lovers who wont even question the vehicle before throwing their money at Apple. I doubt the car will be worth much more than half its price.
Oh, and Apple will make sure that it's incompatible with normal charging ports so they can be different from all the other companies and inconvenience their users by making driving long distances impossible.
No matter how overpriced it is and how terrible it is as a car, people will still buy it as a 100k fashion statement.
Just like Tesla!

That's the thing....it's apple so the sheep will buy it no matter what. I do think Apple makes a decent product though. I just don't care for the way they control everything and the ridiculous high price.

 

[Uncle Al]

Oh, don't forget that you will only be able to get it serviced at Apple Authorized stations and recharged only at Apple charging stations and you'll need an iPhone to start it as well ....... Yep, I can see the buyers flooding in .... LOL

 

[Lounds]

Steve Jobs wanted to partner up with Mercedes years ago to do this but sadly the project died on its arse. I'll be very surprised if this ever actually happens. Building Laptops and phones is not the same as building cars.

 

[wiyosaya]

More overpriced Apple crap.

 

[wiyosaya]

Nice looking car but would be a cold day in hell before I bought anything made by Apple.
Plus I can't afford a car at that price....so there's that.

Is it going to be made by children in china making $2 an hour while they preach social justice? Apple can eat a big "you know" as far as I'm concerned.

Apple is rumored to be abandoning China, but the alternative is, IMO, not likely to be better https://www.barrons.com/articles/apple-iphones-china-covid-foxconn-51670087677

 

[Thatsdisgusting]

I hope soon everyone get why there's so much hysteria about EV. Nobody gives a **** about enviroment, all about making average john/hans/ivan/chen pay average 100K$ for average wheels.

 

[p51d007]

LOL, and it will of course cost you a monthy charge for most of the features that you currently have in
an ICE vehicle

 

[sreams]

I hope soon everyone get why there's so much hysteria about EV. Nobody gives a **** about enviroment, all about making average john/hans/ivan/chen pay average 100K$ for average wheels.

The last two EVs I bought were half that... and they were far more expensive than more affordable EVs like the Chevy Bolt.

 

[Thatsdisgusting]

The last two EVs I bought were half that... and they were far more expensive than more affordable EVs like the Chevy Bolt.

So you got "family" "budget" mid-tier EV for just 50K$?

 

[sreams]

So you got "family" "budget" mid-tier EV for just 50K$?

That is not at all what I said. My comment was in direct response to this: "making average john/hans/ivan/chen pay average 100K$ for average wheels."

The vast, vast majority of EVs sold cost nowhere near $100K.

My last two EVs compete directly with the BMW 3-series (a large percentage of buyers are former BMW/Audi owners, including me)... which cost about the same.

 

[Pensiveclown]

So you got "family" "budget" mid-tier EV for just 50K$?

EVs could be 10-30k if the US didnt make it virtually impossible for Chinese car companies to participate in the market. And you can get 30k EVs in the US. Not even to mention that you save tens of thousands on fuel or maintenance, making the overall cost cheaper than gas cars. Do research before selectively listening. Maybe read some topgear or c&d.

Oh, don't forget that you will only be able to get it serviced at Apple Authorized stations and recharged only at Apple charging stations and you'll need an iPhone to start it as well ....... Yep, I can see the buyers flooding in .... LOL

Don't forget to add the NONEXISTENT part about the charging stations. I would like to see Apple singlehandedly build a competent charging network in a few years. So Apple car drivers would end up only being able to charge at their houses.

LOL, and it will of course cost you a monthy charge for most of the features that you currently have in
an ICE vehicle

They can follow BMW's bad example and start charging people a subscription to use features like heated seats when they sell you a loaded car.

I hope soon everyone get why there's so much hysteria about EV. Nobody gives a **** about enviroment, all about making average john/hans/ivan/chen pay average 100K$ for average wheels.

Substitute nobody for sane people.
Substitute 100k for 30-40k (real EV prices), then subtract 10k from that in savings and you can get a realistic price. And remember that the average US car cost is over 48k.

 

[m4a4]

Nice looking car but would be a cold day in hell before I bought anything made by Apple.

That looks awful. And why did they slap a citroen grille on it.

Last I checked, there is no official announcement with pictures from Apple about this. So all you're commenting on for looks are rumors and "what it might look like" renders...

 

[Thatsdisgusting]

you save tens of thousands on fuel or maintenance, making the overall cost cheaper than gas cars. Do research before selectively listening. Maybe read some topgear or c&d.

So you don't do maintenance for your EV car - no battery replacement, gearbox (if applicable) check, break check, fresh grease (OMG, made from oil) for moving parts? Wow, I guess I should stay away from EV on the road.

And yeah, 50 grands for electrified B or C class car totally legit.

 

[wiyosaya]

So you don't do maintenance for your EV car - no battery replacement, gearbox (if applicable) check, break check, fresh grease (OMG, made from oil) for moving parts? Wow, I guess I should stay away from EV on the road.

I'm sorry, but the argument about battery replacement does not hold water. Batteries will last at least 200K miles. People get upwards of 200K - 300K miles and more from the battery in my lowly 06' Prius. In fact, since I live in a climate where salt is used extensively on the roads in the winter, I will have to buy another vehicle due to rust, not battery replacement. Chances are that the battery will outlast the car for most owners of EVs.

That argument about battery replacement is simply a knee-jerk reaction by the Anti-EV crowed/big OIL that is addicted to OIL and wants you to continue to line their pockets with your money.

And there is substantially LESS maintenance for EVs. Ask an actual EV owner like @scavengerspc

And that gearbox argument - that will depend on the design of the car, however, if the gears are properly designed, the gearboxes will last at least the life of the car, or in the case of designs where there is one motor per wheel, there is no gearbox.

Its not hard to find credible articles out there on the real costs of EV maintenance.

 

[wiyosaya]

Don't forget to add the NONEXISTENT part about the charging stations. I would like to see Apple singlehandedly build a competent charging network in a few years. So Apple car drivers would end up only being able to charge at their houses.

The NONEXISTENT part is changing. https://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/travelplazas/electric-vehicles.html

Level 3 stations are capable of supplying 50-100 kilowatts of power and enable fast-charge-capable EVs to be powered in approximately 30 minutes.

 

[Zsoltblabla]

I hope soon everyone get why there's so much hysteria about EV. Nobody gives a **** about enviroment, all about making average john/hans/ivan/chen pay average 100K$ for average wheels.

No… you don't care about the environment. The rest of us do.

 

[sreams]

So you don't do maintenance for your EV car - no battery replacement

Extremely unlikely in the vast majority of EVs with proper battery management systems. 300,000 miles can be expected from a typical long range Tesla.

gearbox (if applicable) check

Not applicable for most EVs that never ever change gears.

break check

Brakes (not breaks) last far, far longer on an EV, due to potential energy recovery via regen. Pads tend to last about 100,000 miles or more.

fresh grease (OMG, made from oil) for moving parts?

Far, far fewer moving parts. A little bit of grease is needed for ball joints and tie rod ends, and the drive unit does have oil in it. But that oil lasts far longer with far less friction and far fewer moving parts than a combustion engine. You also aren't burning hundreds of gallons of petroleum every year. The amount of oil used for an EV is absolutely miniscule compared to what is gone through with a gas-powered vehicle.

No, there is nothing wrong with consuming some oil. But there isn't a good reason to consume it at the massive rate we do.

 

[captaincranky]

Let's put this into perspective. The Apple car will cost $100,000, which will make it comparable to any other manufacturer's $60,000 car.

 

[Manu Arg]

It will be fun to see how this goes honestly.

 

[scavengerspc]

And there is substantially LESS maintenance for EVs. Ask an actual EV owner like @scavengerspc

But what would be the point?

I could once again tell them about how in 13 months I have spent just over $130 on maintenance. 2 things I didn't even have to do yet but did just to get it out of the way (a maintenance diagnostic and I changed battery coolant). And that my next scheduled drivetrain related maintenance isn't due for another 76000 miles. They won't care.

 

[Pensiveclown]

The NONEXISTENT part is changing. https://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/travelplazas/electric-vehicles.html

I think you may have misunderstood what I said.
I'm saying that specifically apple car chargers don't exist. I have an EV, and I can say from experience that the current charger network is actually fantastic and that it's basically impossible to run out of charge.
Apple, being apple, would probably decide to use its own charging ports that are incompatible with everything else, and force users to depend exclusively on the apple stations that don't exist.
Apple loves to do things like that.

So you don't do maintenance for your EV car - no battery replacement, gearbox (if applicable) check, break check, fresh grease (OMG, made from oil) for moving parts? Wow, I guess I should stay away from EV on the road.

And yeah, 50 grands for electrified B or C class car totally legit.

You don't replace EV batteries. The fact that you don't even know this is pretty sad.
And you don't understand engines either! Oil is meant to lubricate cylinders and other parts of an engine. EVs don't have these. Any quick internet search will tell you that EVs dont need oil changes.
Please read about the market, EVs cost around 30-40k for mainstream EVs. That's before tax credits (though the ***** gov is removing those from non US cars), and before the tens of thousands in savings.
Do some research before posting.


Oh, and, you spelled brakes wrong. Nice.