Apple’s car project apparently ‘ready to leave lab’

Apple Car rendering 001

The Guardian is reporting today that Apple’s rumored electric (driverless?) car developed under the code-name Project Titan is “ready to leave the lab.” As the project now has an official Engineering Program Manager, Apple is reportedly moving to “coordinate the work of teams of hardware and software engineers.”

The story also claims that Apple executives recently met with officials at California’s department of motor vehicles (DMV) to discuss their plans for an “autonomous vehicle.” DMW would only say that “the Apple meeting was to review DMV’s autonomous vehicle regulations.”

According to documents obtained by the Guardian, Mike Maletic, a senior legal counsel at Apple, had an “hour-long meeting on 17 August with the department’s self-driving car experts Bernard Soriano, DMV deputy director, and Stephanie Dougherty, chief of strategic planning, who are co-sponsors of California’s autonomous vehicle regulation project, and Brian Soublet, the department’s deputy director and chief counsel,” reads the article.

It’s unclear whether Apple is seeking a testing permit for its self-driving car from the DMW or just wanted to discuss rules and safety criteria for autonomous vehicles.

“The fact that Apple is approaching the DMV now suggests that its autonomous vehicle, whatever it might be, is almost ready for public view,” speculates the report.

Last month, the same newspaper discovered last month that Apple in secrecy leased the private facility testing site at GoMentum Station in California to road-test its vehicle, codenamed Project Titan.

In addition, the Cupertino firm recently hired a bunch of high-profile executives from the auto industry and has apparently met with BMW executives to discuss possible technology and manufacturing cooperation.

Image: an artist’s rendition of an Apple car.

Source: The Guardian