Apple Electric Car delayed until 2026
Reports initially published in the US by Bloomberg claim that the long anticipated Apple Electric Car has been delayed until 2026. Apple’s electric car project, known internally as ‘Titan’, was initially scheduled to be launched during 2025.
Leaked internal discussion speculates that the tech giant’s original plan of a fully autonomous electric Apple car may not be feasible in the planned timeframe. The ambitious car would allegedly have had no steering wheel or pedals, operating as a Level 5 autonomous vehicle.
Currently in the Australian market, the highest level approved for use on our roads is only a Level 2. Level 2 autonomous systems require drivers to be present and operating the vehicle, with hands on the steering wheel at all times.
Based on the Bloomberg report, the 2026 Apple Electric car will indeed come as a level 2 autonomous vehicle, featuring both a steering wheel and pedals. These autonomous systems can be utilized on highways, comparable to Tesla’s current versions of the ‘Full Self-Driving’ system.
Apple did originally place to price there car at over US$120,000, but this new iteration is expected to come in under US$100,000, south of A$150,000.
Assuming that the main competitor for Apple in the car market will be Tesla, this should be competing against Tesla’s Model S.
With an internal timeline of having a design set by the end of 2023, and a feature list ready by 2024, we could start to see concepts and leaks of the Apple electric car as early as next year.
What do we already know about the Apple Electric Car?
While Apple have done a good job of keeping most information about their electric car internal, we now know quite a bit about this project.
- Apple designed computer hardware: With the success of Apple Silicon in their personal computing devices, it’s no surprise that Apple’s EV project will include their own chips.
- Full integration into the Apple ecosystem: Those who are already in the “walled garden” will know just how well their devices work with each-other. We can expect great integration with iPhones and Apple Watches, potentially acting as keys to unlock and control the vehicle.
- A luxury or high end vehicle: Unlike the Tesla Model 3 or Model Y, Apple will be targeting the higher end market share of electric vehicles, so we can expect them to compete against the Model S and Model X.
- Manufacturing partners: While there is no confirmation which car manufacturer they will work with, Apple will need to collaborate with an experienced manufacture to bring their vehicle to reality. Apple have already had talks with Volkswagen and Hyundai about their electric car project.
