Is Apple making an EV?
In February 2024, Apple executives canceled their plans to release the autonomous electric vehicle, instead shifting resources on the project to the company’s generative artificial intelligence efforts. On February 27, 2024, Apple executives made an internal announcement that the entire car project was being cancelled, with most resources moving to work on Apple’s generative AI projects.The Apple Car never materialized. Reports kept pushing back the expected launch date. And Apple finally pulled the plug on the project in 2024.It was spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year on a car that may never come to market, Bloomberg said. Self-driving technology is tricky and challenging. The EV market has been stagnating due to poor charging infrastructure, which soured Apple’s optimism.
Who is Apple’s EV partner?
Apple’s secret partnership with Chinese automaker BYD focused on developing long-range EV batteries. While Apple’s car project was shelved, BYD’s Blade battery benefited from the collaboration, becoming a key driver of its success in the competitive EV market. Though Apple does not own the technology used in BYD’s current Blade batteries, the collaboration seemingly had an impact on BYD’s advancements. BYD’s entire vehicle lineup now utilizes the Blade battery system, which incorporatesdesign lessons from the Apple partnership.Despite Apple stepping away from its partnership with BYD and exploring battery systems from other companies, the collaboration provided valuable lessons for Apple. Neural Engine AI processor now present in many of Apple’s devices.