Apple Cancels Work on Electric Car, Ending Decade long Effort
The most recent approach discussed internally was delaying a car release until 2028 and reducing self-driving specifications from Level 4 to Level 2+ technology.
Many employees on the car team — known as the Special Projects Group, or SPG — will be shifted to the artificial intelligence division
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-27/apple-cancels-work-on-electric-car-shifts-team-to-generative-ai
Apple to Wind Down Electric Car Effort After Decadelong Odyssey
Apple Inc. is canceling a decadelong effort to build an electric car, according to people with knowledge of the matter, abandoning one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the company.
It's a classic case of Christensen's "The Innovator's Dilemma". Also, it's REALLY HARD to make a breakout automobile. (Tesla almost did, but screwed the pooch with bad quality control, poor ergonomics, and toxic company culture.) And even if you do, Ford/GM/Toyota/VW will catch up within a decade and eat your lunch. It's why most auto startups seem to be hypercars with a 7-digit price tag—there's a ridiculous profit margin—but production volume is too tiny for Apple to touch.
@cstross I wonder if they thought they could license the software to other auto makers? The car would be a proof of concept.
@phlebas That was my thought too. But scaling back from self-driving level 4 to 2+, when the likes of Mercedes and Tesla are at 2 already ... oof.
@cstross One thing I found out today is that running enough computers for level 4 self-driving *halves* the endurance of an electric car's battery.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-02-27/autonomous-electric-vehicles-will-guzzle-power-instead-of-gas
Autonomous Electric Vehicles Will Guzzle Power Instead of Gas
Limiting the battery drain associated with highly automated computing hardware will be a key challenge for car engineers.
Charlie Stross
TonyC
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