Apple’s electric car will arrive in 2026 with a less ambitious autonomous driving system – Apple has postponed the launch of its electric car to 2026; In addition, it will arrive with a less advanced autonomous driving system.
Apple has postponed the launch of its long-awaited electric car to 2026, which will also arrive with a less advanced autonomous driving system than expected, as it will only have the capacity to circulate completely automatically on highways. This will allow the driver to dedicate himself to other tasks when the vehicle is traveling on fast roads.
Although the car that Apple initially wanted to market was going to be completely autonomous and had no steering wheel or pedals, this goal has proven too ambitious for the state of development of autonomous driving technology. Therefore, the definitive model will still maintain manual controls, being able to warn the pilot when it is necessary to regain control.
Although Apple has been working with a fleet of autonomous Lexus for some time in the development of its systems, the truth is that progress is slower than expected. This is the general trend of the industry, with the main players postponing the launch of their autonomous cars for several years compared to their first forecasts.
Since Apple has never produced a car, it will team up with another manufacturer to assemble its model, following the example of Fisker with Magna Steyr, Lordstown with Foxconn, and Sony with Honda. Brands such as Hyundai, KIA, and Nissan have rejected the offer, as Apple only wanted to hire them as a contract manufacturer.
LG Magna e-Powertrain could make Apple’s iCar
Some rumors indicate that LG Magna e-Powertrain, a joint venture between battery supplier LG Energy Solution and manufacturing specialist Magna, could be responsible for producing Apple’s electric car, which will cost more than $100,000 and will be equipped with LFP batteries (lithium-fluorophosphate) “revolutionary”.
At the beginning of the year, a report was published indicating that Apple could be interested in acquiring the startup Canoo, created by Stefan Krause (former CFO of BMW and Deutsche Bank) and Ulrich Kranz (former head of the electric vehicle division of BMW), but it seems that these plans have not come to fruition.
In the words of “a person close to both Apple and Canoo”, Apple would not be interested in the company’s technology, but in its engineers, who have extensive experience in the exterior and interior design of automobiles, as well as powertrains. , batteries, software, production processes, etc.
