American tech giant Apple might not ultimately give up its electric vehicle ambition after ditching its decade-long electric car development under Project Titan.
According to DigiTimes, Apple is currently mulling a potential partnership with US-based electric vehicle startup Rivian.
Report highlights
Electric vehicle supply chain sources claim that Apple is mulling a potential partnership with an American startup, with Rivian being a ” very likely candidate.”
The report implies that Apple may be planning to leverage its 10-year research efforts in electric vehicle and autonomous driving technology to partner with another automaker. It is a significant pivot from its original ambition of producing its own electric car.
However, it remains “uncertain what form such a collaboration could take”, or whether Rivian would even be interested in such a partnership.
Apple’s failed attempt at EV development
Apple officially abandoned its plans to produce its own electric car earlier this year.
The tech giant reportedly decided in January 2024 to build an electric car with fewer features. It also had plans to launch an Apple electric car with “limited autonomous driving” in 2028.
However, news emerged last February that the company had already canceled its EV development. Reports suggested that Apple chose to focus on artificial intelligence (AI) development instead.
Potential benefits of the alleged partnership
Considering Apple’s failed attempt at electric vehicle development, a potential partnership with Rivian is an opportunity to launch some of the technology it has already developed for Project Titan.
In return, Rivian can enhance its new R2 and R3 electric vehicles with Apple’s AI tech, potentially offering competitive autonomous driving software.
Rivian has been progressive in its efforts to bring the R2 to production. It even secured a whopping $827 million incentive package from the Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity in the State of Illinois earlier this month. It plans to utilize government aid for the Normal factory’s expansion to support the upcoming R2 production.
With all that said, it would still be better for the industry to take the report with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, it would really be exciting to see Apple backing Rivian with some cash as the startup enters the complexity of producing its next-gen EVs.
