Reports from the previous year suggested that Apple would introduce a self-driving car around 2025 under “Project Titan.” However, it now appears from a recent Reuters report that the car would not be autonomous and would not be available until 2026.
Apple’s first car offering may not be autonomous
Since 2014, Apple has aimed to develop the first fully autonomous car without the conventional steering wheel or pedals. However, its project engineers no longer believe that vision is attainable with current technology.
Now, the American multinational tech company resorted to a less aggressive design with pedals and a steering wheel. Furthermore, it would only be enabled on highways.
Apart from that, the company is reportedly planning to design a car that will alert drivers with enough time to switch to manual control while they are driving on a freeway.
Apple aims to debut its first smart EV by 2026, despite the setbacks it encountered in its automotive efforts. As for the pricing, it is reported to cost about $100,000.
FSD technology is a long way off from becoming feasible
It is worth noting that there have been a lot of executive adjustments at Apple that may have contributed to this delay. The engineering executive Doug Field, who oversaw this special project team at Apple, was hired by Ford Motor last year. Several other important members of the Titan project left the company a few months earlier.
The news is not all that unexpected because even major automakers like Tesla have struggled to develop full self-driving technologies.
Having said that, this technology is still in its early stages. Before making it available for large production, it should be thoroughly investigated and studied.
