The self-driving car project that Apple is preparing in great secrecy is still far from being verified after eight years of great ambitions and changes in management, according to an investigation published by The Information website on Monday.
The iPhone manufacturer, which did not immediately respond to AFP's questions, has never publicly announced that it is developing a self-driving car, despite many leaks in this field years ago.
The Information website, based on interviews with about twenty people who said they were part of the project, stated that the giant group has delved into several areas, including in particular the self-driving software concerned with monitoring potential obstacles and adjusting driving as required.
Unlike the Tesla group, which is gradually testing and modifying the self-driving features in its vehicle software, or Waymo (a subsidiary of Google) and Cruise, which has begun testing its vehicles and its taxi robots, Apple intends to offer fully autonomous cars to consumers. , a bet that involves greater financial and technical risk, according to the article.
The site pointed out the difficulties faced by the project called "Titan", including the attempt to manufacture a completely new car, and the departure of veteran cadres from the company, especially due to the lack of support from the management.
The site stressed that "engineers lost valuable time preparing test flights on specific routes using technology operating at this site, but not at any other point."
Apple is testing its prototypes with a driver for emergency intervention in Los Angeles, San Diego and around Lake Tahoe.
But at the beginning of this year, one of the experimental vehicles nearly hit a pedestrian while traveling at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour, and an internal investigation concluded that the tragedy would have occurred if the emergency driver had not intervened at the last minute, according to the article.
Since the death of its founder, Steve Jobs, in 2011, Apple has not achieved any significant breach except for its internet-connected Apple Watch, as well as the expansion of its activities in the services sector.
The website "The Information" indicated that nearly a thousand people are currently working on the "Titan" program, which costs one billion dollars annually, out of 22 billion spent by Apple in the field of research and development.