Project Titan

Apple CEO predicts ‘massive change’ coming to autonomous driving

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 20, 2015

Apple CEO Tim Cook is one of the few people in the technology industry who have an uncanny insight into the future of technology so little wonder his vague hints at his company's next moves are being carefully scrutinized by pundits and examined for meaning.

When it comes to the automobile industry, Cook has once again deflected iCar-related questions, refusing to acknowledge the existence of the company's rumored electric car, dubbed Project Titan.

That, however, didn't stop him from teasing that the car industry is at an “inflection point for massive change” during his interview last night at the Wall Street Journal’s WSJ.D Live conference in Laguna Beach, California.

Apple’s aggressive automotive hiring causes electric motorcycle startup to close its doors

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 19, 2015

Apple's aggressive pace of recruiting top talent in the automotive industry for its rumored electric car project, dubbed Project Titan, has caused a San Francisco motorcycle startup to shutter its operation after losing top talent to the iPhone maker, Reuters reported Monday.

Although the Cupertino firm has never attempted to acquire Mission Motors, which designed sleek electric bikes, the company was forced to cease operations in May “after losing some of its top engineering talent to Apple,” said Reuters, citing sources close to Mission.

Apple acquires UK-based voice technology startup VocalIQ

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Apple has acquired UK-based voice technology startup VocalIQ, according to a report from the Financial Times. A spokesman for the Cupertino company has confirmed the buyout with the usual boilerplate statement of "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."

Former GM Vice Chairman disses Apple’s car project, calls it ‘a gigantic money pit’

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 22, 2015

If you're looking for the auto industry version of “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in,” look no further than knee-jerk comments that former GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz made on CNBC.

His arguments: no one's “made a nickel” selling electric cars, that market “is still minuscule” so Apple's Project Titan must be “a gigantic money pit”.

“If I were a shareholder, I'd be very upset,” he added.

WSJ: Apple speeds up electric car project, now targeting 2019 as a prospective shipping date

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 21, 2015

Apple’s rumored electric project, code-named Project Titan, has sped up development as the Cupertino company now targets 2019 as a prospective shipping date, The Wall Street Journal said Monday.

In fact, Apple has internally designating the rumored electric vehicle as a “committed project” after it spent more than a year investigating the feasibility of an Apple-branded car, including meetings with two groups of government officials in California.

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

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 18, 2015

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.”

Apple adds yet another former Tesla engineer to Project Titan team

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Apple has hired yet another former Tesla engineer for its growing Project Titan team, reports MacRumors. The site points to the LinkedIn profile of Hal Ockerse, which shows he was an engineering manager at the electric car company before joining Apple in August as a "software engineer."

Ockerse's profile doesn't offer any details about his new position, but he's likely working on Apple's "Titan" electric car project. At Tesla, he worked on hardware architecture and advanced driver assistance system components, such as hi-res cameras, radars, LiDAR and engine control units.

Apple adds Tesla engineer to growing Project Titan team

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple has hired a senior engineer from electric car maker Tesla Motors, according to a new report from Reuters. The outlet points to the LinkedIn profile of former Tesla Autopilot Firmware Manager Jamie Carlson, who now works at Apple on "Special Projects."

Carlson's profile doesn't go into details regarding his previous position, but the fact that he worked in the autonomous firmware division of one of the industry's most technologically advanced companies, is fueling speculation that Apple is building an electric car.

Documents show Apple’s car is further along than many suspected

Cody Lee ∙ August 14, 2015

Apple's self-driving electric car, codenamed Project Titan, is further along than many suspected, reports The Guardian. The publication has obtained documents that show that the Cupertino company is already scouting locations to test the vehicle.

The Guardian's Mark Harris said the documents were obtained legally under a public records request, and they contain correspondence between Apple engineer Frank Fearon and an employee for top-secret vehicle testing ground GoMentum Station.

Reuters: Apple, BMW could resume talks over electric car partnership

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

The rumors that Apple visited a BMW plant last year to learn about auto manufacturing is true, reports Reuters. Citing sources familiar with the talks, the outlet says that Tim Cook and his senior executive team traveled to BMW's Leipzig factory last fall, showing interest in its i3 electric car.

"Apple executives were impressed with the fact that we abandoned traditional approaches to car making and started afresh. It chimed with the way they do things too," a senior BMW source said. The executives asked BMW board members detailed questions about both tooling and production.

Apple reportedly approached BMW over using i3 as basis for its electric car

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 7, 2018

Apple approached BMW last year regarding its rumored electric car project, reports German business magazine Manager. The publication says that Tim Cook and other senior executives visited the i3 assembly plant in Leipzig, Germany during "autumn 2014" to discuss the possibility of using the i3 as the basis for its own vehicle.

For those who aren't familiar with the i3, it's BMW's urban 5-door electric car that looks like a hatchback from the future. It's been generally well-received by critics, but with a 0-60 time approaching 7 seconds and a battery range of under 100 miles, it's not turning nearly as many heads as the model S and other Tesla-made cars.

Apple adds high profile auto executive to electric car team

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

It was uncovered on Monday that Apple recently hired high profile auto executive Doug Betts, reigniting rumors that the company is building an electric car. As noted by The Wall Street Journal, Betts' LinkedIn profile says that he joined the Cupertino firm's "Operations" team this month.

It's not clear what he will be working on at Apple, but it's hard to imagine it's anything but a car. Betts was Head of Quality at the Chrysler Group, now Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, for 7 years before leaving in 2014 to "pursue other interests." Prior to that he worked at both Toyota and Nissan.