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Apple to Wind Down Electric Car Effort After Decadelong Odyssey

Discussion in 'General Automotive Discussion' started by NYC Fred, Feb 28, 2024.

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  1. NYC Fred

    NYC Fred F1 World Champ
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    #1 NYC Fred, Feb 28, 2024
    (Bloomberg) -- 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.

    Apple made the disclosure internally Tuesday, surprising the nearly 2,000 employees working on the project, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the announcement wasn’t public. The decision was shared by Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams and Kevin Lynch, a vice president in charge of the effort, according to the people.




    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/ar-BB1iZH3N
     
  2. Innovativethinker

    Innovativethinker F1 Veteran
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    #2 Innovativethinker, Feb 28, 2024
    I can’t imagine how much this mistake cost.
     
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  3. 19633500GT

    19633500GT F1 World Champ
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    #3 19633500GT, Feb 28, 2024
    Starts with a capital (not pun) B!
     
  4. BJK

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    #4 BJK, Feb 28, 2024
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2024
    Incredible failure really. :confused: I'm sure it wasn't for lack of money.
    Seems a strange time to abandon project after 10 yrs. I would think AI would offer a whole new avenue to explore.

    BUT, just look at Lucid, Rivian (both tanking despite arguably good products), Ford, GM (hardly a blip), .............

    All the more impressive for what Tesla has managed to do. (think where they'd be if they started with a 'normal' SUV and pickup! :D )

    Always wondered why Toyota and Honda weren't leading the charge :) towards electric. Waiting for next-gen (solid state?) batteries. Until charging takes no more than 10(?) minutes, ev's will not fully take off.

    .
     
  5. Bullfighter

    Bullfighter Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #5 Bullfighter, Feb 29, 2024
    It’s really an infrastructure game at this point. Not something in which Apple would be at a competitive advantage.



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  6. Jaguar36

    Jaguar36 Formula 3
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    #6 Jaguar36, Feb 29, 2024
    As a shareholder I’m glad to see Apple do this. Both that they are willing to spend alot on R&D of a new product and also to recognize that it wasn’t going to work out. They have a stupid amount of cash on hand and should be spending it on developing new product lines.
     
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  7. peterp

    peterp F1 Veteran

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    #7 peterp, Feb 29, 2024
    I hope they funnel all that development money into creating an iPhone with a headphone jack and a Macbook with a USB-A port :)
     
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  8. BJK

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    #8 BJK, Mar 1, 2024
    after 10 yrs and billions(?) of dollars they should at least have something to show for it. Product or tech (not a whole car) that could be licensed maybe? ;)
    .
     
  9. NYC Fred

    NYC Fred F1 World Champ
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    #9 NYC Fred, Mar 3, 2024
    The Apple car was never a sure thing
    Plagued by shifts in development direction, the doomed project gobbled up $10 billion

    ...At the end, the Times says, Apple had “burned more than $10 billion on the project and the car had reverted to its beginnings as an electric vehicle with driving-assistance features rivaling Tesla’s, according to a half dozen people who worked on the project over the past decade.” But it was doomed “in large part because developing the software and algorithms for a car with autonomous driving features proved too difficult.”

    ...By the end, Apple had spent wildly on importing more than 2,000 employees to Apple Park, including engineers who had worked for NASA and developed race cars for Porsche.The group, the Times reports, “developed an array of new technologies, including a windshield that could display turn-by-turn directions and a sunroof that would feature special polymer to reduce heat from the sun.”

    The story in full is here. A Times subscription may be required for access.

    https://www.autoblog.com/2024/03/02/the-apple-car-was-never-a-sure-thing/    ​
     
  10. INRange

    INRange F1 World Champ
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    #10 INRange, Mar 3, 2024
    CarPlay appears to be the only item related to cars that made any sense. It was no different with the TV Apple was rumored to be working on. They were just so far behind Samsung and LG.......and lacked their manufacturing capability.....it was doomed from the start.

    Without Steve Jobs they just keep stumbling around on the R&D front. Cook is a good COO but is not a visionary leader. I figure that it will take a string of bad quarters before the Board gives him the boot and he "retires".
     

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