Apple is reportedly developing its electric vehicle, the Apple Car, independently. The tech giant chose not to seek any assistance from other automakers, and it is now selecting suppliers for car parts.

Apple to Manufacture Apple Car Independently

According to Korea's Maeil Economic Daily, the tech company has had its own automobile hardware research and development team since 2014.

However, due to some issues in the development stage of the vehicle, Apple contacted other automakers such as Toyota, BMW, Hyundai, and Nissan to explore joint development and offer a contract to team up with production.

According to Reuters, the tech company's vehicle hardware research and development department stopped its operations back in 2016.

Also Read: Apple Wants Batteries for the Apple Car to be Manufactured in the US, Source Says

Although its hardware team seized its operation, its software research team that focused on self-driving continued.

The talks with other automakers fell apart because of repeated delays. Also, since the auto industry is shifting towards electric vehicles, it has slowed down any joint development and production agreement between companies.

Large automakers are reluctant to become a manufacturing subcontractor for Apple, according to MacRumors. 

Both Kia and Hyundai rejected Apple's proposals to become Apple Car's manufacturers.

On the other hand, the tech giant decided that it could not delay the launch of the vehicle any further and would do the manufacturing of the car independently instead.

With these talks stalling, the tech giant has turned again to its own development and restored the full operation of its research unit.

Even though Apple's vice president of special projects, Doug Field, left to join Ford, Apple believed it had enough engineers to work on the vehicle.

Apple has already sent a Request for Information or RFI to major automobile part manufacturers. The company also sent a Request for Proposal or RFP and a Request for Quotation or RFQ. This is a sign that the final parts supplies for the car are now being selected for outsourced production.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple plans to launch the vehicle around 2025 to 2027.

Apple Car Testing

According to Apple Insider, the company's use of sleek lines in other products could be applied to the vehicle. It may also have wide-swinging doors that remove the need for a permanent center door pillar, which can make the openings larger.

Since the vehicle has a self-driving system, it could change the overall design of the vehicle and may result in more radical layouts because there would be less need for conventional seating arrangements.

In April 2017, the vehicle was first sighted as it was taken out for a self-driving car test. The vehicle was spotted at an Apple facility.

The initial tests involved adding more equipment to a pre-existing car. On the roof of the vehicle, there is a custom frame. Radar arrays are also mounted onto the front and rear areas.

Cameras that are around the car's exterior are in protective housings, providing the self-driving system with a 360-degree view of its surroundings.

In August 2017, a road user spotted the updated version of the company's self-driving testbed. The car was seen parked outside of an Apple office in California.

Related Article: Apple Recruits Former Mercedes Engineers as Tech Giant Continues to Work on Apple Car

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster