Apple's Efforts To Create Its Own Autonomous Electric Car

Apple Car Illustration (9to5mac)

JAKARTA - Apple, which is better known for electronic products such as the iPhone and Macbook, is preparing to enliven the electric car competition. Apple is trying to collaborate with the South Korean car manufacturer, Hyundai, to make its plan a reality.

But until now, Hyundai has not made a decision regarding Apple's business.

"We have received requests for potential cooperation from various companies regarding the development of autonomous electric vehicles, but no decision has yet been made because discussions are still in their early stages," Hyundai replied as quoted by 9t5mac.

Apple plans to launch an electric car called the Apple Car in 2024. Later, this car will be the first autonomous car produced by the company from the United States (US).

Apple's entry into the arena of electric cars has enlivened the competition. In the US, there is already a fast growing electric car manufacturer Tesla. In fact, Apple has long had the ambition to make electric cars.

In 2014 Apple developed its car design. Two years later Apple focused on creating software to be used in its autonomous cars. Until 2019, the company was forced to terminate its employees for this project. Yet it still retains a number of important engineers with specialized skills.

Then Apple embraced former top officials from the Tesla company, namely Steve MacManus, who had served as vice president of engineering at the company owned by Elon Musk.

Initially, MacManus did not work on projects related to electric cars. But now MacManus is the leader of a development group with employees in designing car interiors, testing, and components for Apple's autonomous vehicles.

Apple not only hired a former vice president of engineering for Tesla, they also hired engineers with other big names. Is Jonathan Sive who has worked at BMW, Alphabet Inc. and Tesla.

It doesn't stop there. The company that was founded by Steve Jobs returned to recruit important Tesla people such as Michael Schwekutsch, who had served as vice president of Tesla, as summarized from Autonews.

After Schwekutsch, the iPhone maker based in Cupertino also hooked up another Tesla leader named Stuart Bowers. Bowers headed up the Tesla autonomous car technology team in 2019.

Apple is reportedly still looking for a master engineer capable of integrating various components including audio drivers, speakers, tuners, power supplies, cables, microphones, antennas and wireless communications to be embedded in its electric vehicle (EV) system.

Last year, Apple tested its autonomous electric car that can go around 189 kilometers. After that the electric car was taken over by the driver. These trials have increased from trials conducted in 2018.