Why it matters: Rumors about Apple’s attempts to produce a self-driving electronic vehicle have swirled for years. A new report lays out the history of the company’s troubled “Project Titan” and reveals some fascinating details about its design, including its lack of a steering wheel.
The Information released an in-depth report on Apple’s years-long attempt to build a self-driving car. Much of it chronicles details that anyone following “Project Titan” already knows, but the piece also includes some new tidbits concerning the car’s design and struggles.
Currently, self-driving cars still must be able to relinquish control to humans for safety and have often had to during tests. The report mentions multiple cases where this happened with Titan. Most interestingly, Apple is trying to get permission from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to release the vehicle without a steering wheel or brake pedals, committing entirely to being a self-driving vehicle.
Apple designers’ ideas for the car’s seating arrangement form another unusual aspect of the project. The latest design features four inward-facing seats, so passengers directly face each other. Designers are also discussing letting passengers lie flat and sleep.
Despite being in the works for almost a decade, a level 5 Apple car is probably still years away from public release. Apple formerly looked to Hyundai to help it produce the vehicle, but talks paused in February last year. Last September, project head Doug Field left Apple for a job at Ford, compounding the delays even further.
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