Apple Learning To Make Self-Driving Electric Car

Those ages-old rumors of Apple working on its own cars may have some merit after all. Wall Street Journal sources report that Cupertino has “several hundred” staffers working on an electric car project nicknamed Titan.

It’s supposedly early days (a release would be “several years” away), but the current effort apparently resembles a minivan.

There’s no mention of whether or not Apple’s camera-toting vans are linked to this EV effort, although it’s certainly tempting to make that connection.

“They don’t appear to want a lot of help from carmakers,” a source, who declined to be named, said.

Apple is gathering advice on parts and production methods, the source said, adding that Apple appeared not to be interested in combustion engine technology or conventional manufacturing methods.

An Apple spokesman in London on Saturday declined to comment on “rumors or speculation”.

Rival software maker Google has developed a prototype self-driving vehicle, while startup rival Tesla Motors has produced a successful electric sports car.

Last year, Apple hired Marc Newson, a well-known industrial designer and close friend of the company’s design guru, Jony Ive. In the past, Mr. Newson has created a concept car for Ford.

In addition to building a car, there is money to be made from the software operating system for a self-driving vehicle, as well as the services associated with autonomous driving, such as high-definition mapping, car-sharing and electric car recharging services, the auto industry source said.

“It’s a software game. It’s all about autonomous driving,” the source said.

Apple may be pursing mainly expertise rather than full-scale partnerships, a pattern that has a long history.

In 2005, two years before it released the iPhone, Apple worked with Motorola, then the world’s second-largest mobile phone maker, to develop the Rokr, a phone with integrated iTunes music and media-playing features. Capable of only holding 100 songs, the phone flopped, and briefly called into question Apple’s ability to break into new product categories.

More recently, in developing the soon-to-be-launched Apple Watch, the company held limited talks with Swiss watchmakers, but no broad-based alliance emerged from the discussions.

Instead of partnerships, Apple pursued a go-it-alone strategy and turned to poaching talent from top watchmaking brands.

Among the high-profile hirings Apple has made from the auto industry was Johann Jungwirth, President & CEO, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America. Jungwirth could not be reached for comment.

A spokesman for Daimler on Saturday said that the team of engineers which developed the Mercedes-Benz autonomous car remains intact and that Jungwirth was mainly specialized in integrating smartphone functionality and developing advanced user experiences.

According to Jungwirth’s Linkedin profile he joined Apple in September. At Daimler his responsibilities from March 2009 to September 2014 included overseeing Connected Car & UI Telematics, Autonomous Driving, Advanced User Experience Design, Powertrain & eDrive, Advanced Exterior Design and Mercedes Benz style, group research and regulatory affairs, the profile said.

One thing is clear, if the claims are true: Apple isn’t taking the project lightly. The WSJ understands that ex-Ford engineer and veteran iPhone leader Steve Zadesky is heading up Titan.

The Financial Times, meanwhile, has learned that Apple is recruiting loads of automotive experts, including Johann Jungwirth (who’s officially tasked with Mac Systems Engineering).

The company may be talking to vehicle suppliers like Magna, too.

It’s possible that there’s something less ambitious in the works (such as more substantive car infotainment systems) or that the initiative will fall apart, but the sheer scale and focus suggests that Tesla could get stiff competition in its own back yard.

Related: The Fantastic Apple Car Is a Fantasy