A new piece of information has surfaced from Apple. The company is now determined to release a fully autonomous electric vehicle in 2025 under the leadership of former Apple Watch software chief.
Bloomberg reports that Apple, under the orchestration of former Apple Watch software chief Kevin Lynch, has decided to develop an electric vehicle that is more difficult yet better conforms to the company’s style.
The Apple Car that has been rumored for many years has been swinging in between two routes, with the first being a relatively conservative solution that consists of a restricted level of assisted driving capability, and the second being a fully automatic driving solution that is much more similar to a level of true unmanned driving.
Insiders pointed out that Apple Car will be adopted with the latter option under the leadership of Kevin Lynch, which is a solution that is more tricky in R&D but possesses additional degree of influence.
The competition of self-driving, seemingly quite on the surface, is actually ferocious in reality. From tech giants like Google, Uber, Tencent, Huawei, and Alibaba, to auto manufacturers such as General Motors and Tesla, there is still a long way to go for the attainment of unmanned driving or autonomous driving of Level 4 or above.
Apple, under the latest goal, has shrunken the process that would initially take 5-7 years to 4 years, and the latest concept shows that the steering wheel will be removed for the Apple Car, with the overall interior of the vehicle surrounding a design that is without a driver’s seat.
However, it is easier said than done, since there are many regulations to overcome in allowing Level 5 self-driving vehicles to be on the road, and it is not something that can be decided by the auto manufacturers.
From a rational prediction, Apple is likely to complete the prototype in 2025, before initiating road tests, though the exact time of launching will have to depend on the approval from the regulatory authorities.
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