The Apple Car project was canceled before it saw the light of day, and although Apple has never publicly acknowledged the project, we know many details about it thanks to various insiders. Now a new report has revealed details about a partnership between Apple and BYD to power the so-called Apple Car.
Apple wanted to use BYD batteries in its electric car
As reported by Bloomberg On Wednesday, Apple worked closely with Chinese automaker BYD. Both companies reportedly reached an agreement around 2017 to build batteries using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells. The technology will greatly increase the autonomy of the car and is also considered safer than conventional electric car batteries.
Although BYD has its own electric cars, the battery developed in collaboration with Apple will be designed exclusively for the Apple Car. Apple chose engineers working on advanced battery packs and thermal management to work on the project, while BYD contributed manufacturing and development expertise using LFP batteries.
While Apple is looking for partners to work on the car project, BYD reportedly approached the company to show the first version of its “Blade” battery. It is reported that Apple executives were surprised by the safety and capacity of the battery and finally chose to work with a Chinese company. The Blade battery is now one of the selling points of BYD vehicles.
Despite having worked with BYD for years, Apple reportedly pulled out of the relationship and considered offers from other companies.
More on the Apple Car project
With the Apple Car project now cancelled, many people involved in the project have now revealed details about it. The idea of building a car is said to have come from Apple in 2014, and the company had discussions with many car manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Tesla to get their help.
The project has undergone many variations since its initial conception. Due to the challenges of building a fully autonomous car as Apple executives wanted, the company later considered the project more ambitious. However, building a car proved too complicated for Apple, and the company ended work on the Titan.
Estimates suggest that the car project costs Apple more than $ 1 billion a year, while the company plans to sell its car for about $ 120,000.
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