Apple Car: A Cancelled Project That Cost Over $10 Billion
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Before Project Titan was canceled, Apple reportedly worked with Chinese automaker BYD for years to create special batteries for the Apple Car, but ultimately backed out and from this partnership.
The Apple Car project has been canceled since at least February 2024, but details about the $10 billion, 10-year cost continue to leak. While Apple considered many battery makers, one potential partnership has been revealed.
According to a Bloomberg report, Chinese car company BYD was working with Apple on a custom battery designed for the Apple Car. However, even after years of working with BYD, Apple decided to abandon the partnership in favor of other options.
Project Titan has a long history of delays, leadership changes, and abrupt shifts in priorities between autonomous driving and other features. Apple became interested in BYD when its engineers demonstrated the Blade to Apple executives.
Apple’s Alexander Hitzinger, a former Volkswagen and Porsche executive, oversaw the product’s development from 2016 to 2019. Battery engineer Mujeeb Ijaz, who worked at Apple from 2014 to 2020, was also involved in the project, along with 50 battery engineers.
The Blade battery system has been a success for BYD, making it the largest electric vehicle company in China. BYD even briefly surpassed Tesla to become the world’s number one electric vehicle seller.
Apple may have abandoned the Apple Car, but thanks to billions spent on research, it has learned a lot about robotics, artificial intelligence, batteries, and other systems. A smart home speaker with a display and a robotic arm could be the first product unveiled after Project Titan was disbanded, leaving behind the Apple Robotics division.
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