Self-Driving Cars

Over the past years, Apple's automotive team has worked on two simultaneous tracks, first creating a model with limited autonomous driving capabilities that focuses on steering and acceleration - like many current cars - and a version that is fully autonomous and requires no human intervention.

Under the company's new leadership, engineers are now focusing on the second option. Team boss Kevin Lynch is pushing for a fully self-driving car in the first release.

This is the latest shift in efforts for the car, known as Project Titan, which has been around since the beginning of 2014.

Tesla, the market leader in electric cars, is still years away from offering fully self-driving cars.

Waymo has suffered a series of shareholder departures, while Uber agreed to sell its self-driving division last year.

Apple is internally targeting a self-driving car within 4 years, faster than the 5- to 7-year timeline that some engineers were planning earlier this year.

Reaching this 2025 goal depends on the company's ability to complete the autonomous driving system, an ambitious task according to this timeline. And if the company can't reach its goal, it can either delay the release or sell the lower-tech car initially.

The Apple car will not have a steering wheel and pedals, and the interior design is centered around the concept of hands-free driving.

An option discussed in-house features an interior design similar to the one on Canoo's Lifestyle Vehicle. The passengers in that car sit sideways and face each other as if they were in a limousine.

Apple has also explored designs where the in-vehicle infotainment system is in the middle of the car, allowing users to interact with it throughout the journey.

The car is also highly integrated with existing Apple services and devices. Although the company is trying to develop a car without a steering wheel, it has discussed providing the car with a mode that enables the driver to take control in an emergency.

The company has recently made significant strides in developing the car's basic self-driving system. She believes she has completed a lot of basic work on the processor she intends to ship in the first generation of the car.

The chip was designed by the company's silicon chip engineering team rather than the car team itself. The work included modifying the basic software that works on the chip to operate the capabilities of self-driving.

Following these developments, the car could soon make its way to road tests. The company plans to start using the new processor design and updated self-driving sensors in the modified cars it has spent years testing in California.

The company currently has a fleet of 69 Lexus vehicles that are testing its technology, according to the state Department of Automobiles.

The car chip is the most advanced component the company has developed in-house, and is primarily made up of neural processors that can handle the artificial intelligence needed for autonomous driving. The capabilities of the chip mean that it will likely require the development of an advanced cooling system.

Apple is looking to build stronger protections than what is available from Waymo and Tesla. To power the car, the company is studying compatibility with the combined charging system.

This allows the company to benefit from an extensive global network of chargers. But this approach may differ from the charging systems it has developed for the iPhone and Apple Watch.

The hope is to develop a car that spares customers the fatigue of driving when they are on long trips, but to build an actual car Apple needs to partner with other companies.

The company has discussed deals with several manufacturers, and has also considered building the vehicle in the United States.