Apple appears to be developing its very own autonomous self-driving car – as part of “Project Titan”.
According to a news report by The Guardian, the California-based tech giant is looking for a location where it can test its secret self-driving car.
There has been a lot of speculation that Apple is working on an autonomous vehicle, but until now there hasn’t been any indication on how far along the company is on development.
The reports suggests that Apple may actually be more further along than expected.
The Guardian managed to get it hands on a correspondence between Apple engineer Frank Fearon and officials from GoMentum Station – a high-security testing ground for autonomous vehicles.
Will we one day associate this iconic logo with electric vehicles? It’s possible.
The report indicates that Apple engineers have inquired about and visited the 5,000-acre decommissioned naval base.
“We would … like to get an understanding of timing and availability for the space, and how we would need to coordinate around other parties who would be using [it],” the newspaper quotes Fearon as writing.
This is the first time that the existence of the project has been documented.
In May, Apple senior vice-president Jeff Williams hinted at such a project, when he called the car “the ultimate mobile device” and said the company was “exploring a lot of different markets … [in which] we think we can make a huge amount of difference”.
Fearon told GoMentum Station in a letter: “We are hoping to see a presentation on the … testing grounds with a layout, photos, and a description of how the various areas of the grounds could be used.”
GoMentum Station has been used by Mercedes-Benz and Honda to test their own self-driving cars. The site is owned by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority.
It’s not yet certain what it is exactly that Apple is developing. Are they working on a completely Apple-made car? Or is it some sort of software that automakers will be able to use in their own cars? We’ll have to wait and see.
