Cupertino, California - Apple aims to have an electric car on the road some time in 2019.
This according to a report on Monday in the Wall Street Journal quoting unnamed sources, which came amid persistent rumours that Apple is secretly working to put its iconic brand on a high-tech car. The company has declined to comment on the reports.
The report says the leaders of the Apple car project - code-named Titan - have been given the green light to triple the size of the team to 1800 people, and that, while Apple is rumoured to be interested in making autonomous cars, the first version will require a human drive.
Reaction from industry analysts, however, suggests that the end of the decade could be an optimistic target, and Apple might wind up taking a bit longer or even partnering with an traditional automaker.
RULES OF THE ROAD
AppleInsider - a website devoted to news about the company - said in a recent story Apple had been hiring talent away from electric carmaker Tesla to boost its Titan effort, and the California Department of Motor Vehicles said on Friday that it had met with Apple to discuss rules of the road regarding testing self-driving cars.
A department spokesperson said: “The Apple meeting was to review DMV's autonomous vehicle regulations.”
Google and several major car makers have been pursuing autonomous vehicle technology. Google has been testing self-driving cars in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, and Toyota earlier in September announced plans to invest $50 million (R670 million) in developing artificial intelligence for cars, an indication it could be joining the race to develop driverless vehicles.