New Report Says Apple Was in Talks to Use BMW i3 as Basis for Electric Car Project

[jeffy.dee-lux]

But electricity is generated mostly through coal. For all the hype, solar and wind aren't capable of completely replacing other power sources and won't be for several decades. Nuclear is cleaner, but has its own controversies, as does natural gas for power generation (which is inherently less efficient than just using natural gas directly in cars).

In the US, coal no longer represents a majority of electricity generation, time to update your talking points. Also, it's silly to so quickly dismiss solar and wind, given the insane growth we've seen in this area in the past few years. 1.3GW of solar PV added in Q1 2015 (yes, speaking of Deloreans, that is more than the 1.21 'jigawatts' needed to power the time circuits) - that's more than half of all new electricity generation capacity added in the US during the same quarter (yes, more than even natural gas):

New US PV installations by quarter:

http://www.greentechmedia.com/artic...tial-Solar-US-Installs-1.3GW-of-PV-in-Q1-2015

Looking at the overall grid mix, the addition of these and other renewables, as well as the shift from coal to natural gas, means that 60% of americans already live in a part of the US where driving an EV produces fewer GHG emissions than the most fuel efficient non-plug-in hybrid. (An EV charged with natural gas-powered electricity is not necessarily less efficient than a vehicle with a combustion engine directly burning natural gas). Even since the first time the Union of Concerned Scientists published their map of GHG-based equivalent "fuel economy" for EVs, they've already had to update their map once to show the improvements made in just the past few years.

See the 2012 version of this map here:
http://blog.ucsusa.org/how-do-electric-cars-compare-with-gas-cars-656

With the rate at which we're already cleaning up the grid, an EV sold today will only get significantly more efficient overall by the time it's taken off the road.

 

[prowlmedia]

Interesting stuff for sure, recycling the nuclear waste. Wind turbines are a good source of energy at the present, but I agree their needs to be massive investment and development in technology that is essentially saving the planet and environment.
I think hydrogen is a good fuel for cars, so long as it's no more dangerous than petrol / gasoline is in an accident. I'm still waiting for these hydrogen fuel cells we were promised in our gadgets years ago.

It's the whole infrastructure with Hydrogen. Why not just create electric at source with it instead of shipping it around. The storage is a big problem and, as you say, it's inherently very explodey!

Also it's a method of heavy taxation. they won't be able to tax electric like they do do fuels.

 

[Zirel]

Sure. Apple Watch, Apple Music, 63% of revenue/81% of overall profit from one device (iPhone.) Some great things. Apple's Soul Died with Steve. Tim is still the COO. The promotion of Jony to Chief of Design is an attempt to put a "SJ" back in a position of CEO. When you listen to the conference calls (which I'm sure you do being so knowledgeable of my lack of knowledge) Tim talks about the same things he did in 2010. The only words he knows are, 6-7 Day Inventory, Channel Flow, Market Forecast, Dividend Increase, and Magical.

Apple Music is a page write out of a Windows Programing Textbook. The Apple Watch is a useless accessory that does nothing except place your iPhone on your wrist.

So, I have seen nothing ingenious since 2011. I'm glad you enjoy paying for products with average margins of 37%. Then again, you understand the full picture, eh?

Except that Apple has been hugely successful in so many ways, despite the competition catching up, the Apple Watch is a huge win that makes Android OEMs unable to compete and defines the smartwatch as a blend of premium craftsmanship, excellent design, serious fitness tracking abilities and accessible price that only Apple can deliver.

Apple Music may be bad software, but the service is the best, they get the best content, and all the others get the same content, making them unable to gather paying clients, and therefore, compete...

 

[robertosh]

Das Apfel

Der Apfel

 

[Dranix]

Der Apfel

Der Äppler.

 

[lowendlinux]

Nobody said it was a bad idea. People were wondering if it was another one of Google's expensive hobbies, like Google Glass and many things they half introduced and then dropped. Google's track record with hardware isn'T so hot; so that was also another reasoning behind questioning what their doing. It may be a good idea, but just not for Google...

Apple usually develops things secretly for years and then introduce it (like the Watch), while Google likes to trumpet what is is working on years in advance even if its no where close to release stage (and even its whole commercial viability for a non hardware company like Google is very much in doubt).

Its possible Apple's been working on car systems for many years and it just now is starting to be known because they're expanding their hiring out of research into full development of working full scale prototypes (where the people they need to hire would have very different skills than their normal staff, so it would be more evident).

http://bgr.com/2015/07/25/google-glass-tony-fadell/

What was surprising, however, was that Google Glass development was being moved to its own independent division headed up by the iPodfather himself, Tony Fadell.

Where is the problem? German cars at least work reliable - not like the junk american car companies sell.

Here they do in the states though they've gotten a reputation of being unreliable and expensive to fix.

Denmark is a tiny country of about 5 million people. Germany still gets most of its power from plants powered by natural gas from Russia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Germany

While peak-generation from combined wind and solar reached a new all-time high of 74% in April 2014,[4] wind power saw its best day ever on December 12, 2014, generating 562 GWh.[5] Germany has been called "the world's first major renewable energy economy".[6][7]

At least they're trying not thinking of all the reasons it won't work or searching for a drop in solution.

 

[anomie]

Apple should be in talks with Lamborghini!

Yeah sure, because Apple loves to be totally backwards.
The days of those stupid hundreds of horsepower cars are almost counted.
The US are still way behind when it comes to future cars.

btw: I like the looks of the i3

 

[lowendlinux]

Yeah sure, because Apple loves to be totally backwards.
The days of those stupid hundreds of horsepower cars are almost counted.
The US are still way behind when it comes to future cars.

btw: I like the looks of the i3

Lamborghini is owned by VW what does the US have anything to do with it?

 

[doelcm82]

I really don't know how they could be addressed, as far as turbines go. There are several factors at work there, and they are all acoustical, based on the design and placement of the turbine. There are several orders of harmonics happening, and they interplay with other turbines, nearby structures, and resonant cavities underground. Someplace like Florida, with its honeycombed foundation of limestone strata would be a horrible place to be if wind harvesting goes large scale there.

In order to combat sound you can only do one of three things to make a dent: prevent the source, absorb the first response wave, or cancel it by broadcasting a reversed polarity wave in perfect response. I doubt there is much they could do in the first respect. Absorption will take some pretty creative thinking. About the only other thing that could work is to create standing wave structures via 3d sound projectors pointed around each turbine. Talk about expense...

Anywhere with a coastline or rail line or pipe line is a horrible place to be in case of an oil spill.

 

[Glideslope]

Can you please make the "not since Steve" comment at the beginning of your argument so we know not to take you seriously?

Sorry you're so caught up in the moment. But it's true. Jony's new position is an attempt to restore the Karma. Too late.

 

[Glideslope]

Except that Apple has been hugely successful in so many ways, despite the competition catching up, the Apple Watch is a huge win that makes Android OEMs unable to compete and defines the smartwatch as a blend of premium craftsmanship, excellent design, serious fitness tracking abilities and accessible price that only Apple can deliver.

Apple Music may be bad software, but the service is the best, they get the best content, and all the others get the same content, making them unable to gather paying clients, and therefore, compete...

The Apple Watch in no way has been a huge win in wearables. Please, it's like saying the iPhone has been a huge success compared to WIN Based Smart Phones. It's a crude, overpriced 1st generation device that has sold only to those who "have to have one." I don't see it having any traction till 2017 at the earliest, if ever. It needs to be far more autonomous to be of any interest to those other than the "Me Too's."

Apple Music. Too me however, it's about the Software. The tight integration between applications has been Apple's Signature. I see that going away very quickly. As do very influential people such a Jim Dalrymple that seems to be a spur of the moment idea rushed to the consumer, AKA Microsoft. It bothers me tremendously, and I am in no way remotely alone in my concern. It a dangerous trend.

 

[oldmacs]

lose*

Oops

 

[imola.zhp]

Rumor, this is just a rumor, a clickbait rumor.

I love apple and I love my BMW i3, but c'mon, this isn't news. Even if its true, companies attempt product sharing all of the time, sometimes it works out, sometimes it falls through. It is not news worthy.

As for the haters, the i3 is an amazing car. I've had mine 12 weeks now and I am NEVER going back! After a vacation in a few weeks I'm going to look at getting a second one actually. We like it that much. I didn't read all of the posts in this thread but it looked like someone was trying to say they are more dirty than a traditional internal combustion engine car, that is just not true, big oil has hired freelance writers to put out ridiculous stories about EV's to attempt to harm their acceptance rating. Not to mention that a lot of EV drivers end up going solar for 100% "Free" driving. Do your own research and you will find out that they are amazingly clean vehicles that only get more clean as they are driven.

With a few tasteful mods, I think my i3 is looking pretty good. I've still got a few other things to do with it, this is only week number 12.

 

[Chatter]

Der Äppler.

Danke!

 

[rhett7660]

I could be wrong, but I don't think Apple, will be doing the traditional "car". I think they want to setup the interior and user interfaces inside a car. Just an opinion. The startup of a car company, is rather huge, not saying they don't have the money to do it, but I don't know if they would want to take on that big of a project. Instead focus their attention to the inside on the head unit if you will.

 

[ChrisCW11]

Why would you start with arguably one of the ugliest EV cars ever designed as the basis for an iCar?

However, I am positive that if Apple came out with a car that looked exactly like this, people would rave about how incredibly well designed and ahead of the curve it is.

 

[ChrisCW11]

Here's the argument against Fuel Cells (and for Batteries) from one of Tesla's founders

The Hydrogen Fuel Cell bit starts at 12 minutes 57 seconds.

arn

There are also significant arguments that suggest EV is NOT environmentally sound choice outside of large dense urban centers. You have to replace the gas energy with some other source, and that source is most likely going to come from a carbon spewing source opposed to an environmentally sound source. Trying to charge EV in less dense communities from dirty sources of energy might actually increase carbon output.

Of course Tesla is going to argue against hydrogen as it will be one of their primary competitor's in the future. But the waters are muddy on both sides.

 

[macduke]

Not sure how your argument of building a brand new car reduces impact on the environment?

Historically Apple has pushed industries forward. They either create a new category or enter an existing one and take it up to the next level and make it very mainstream. If they could do that with electric cars then how could that not reduce the impact on the environment? People are going to buy new cars regardless. I have a car that is old enough to join the military. I need a new car. If I bought an electric car instead of yet another, really outdated combustion engine then it would be a net gain for the planet.

And what does an ecosystem have to do with a car? It isn't a link to dealerships and service centres, which I can't see Apple setting up, more like it would just partner with someone.

It would be interesting to see how you could try out an Apple Car. I could see many sales being online but people still want to try them. As for ecosystem, I was referring to how all of the parts of Apple's system tend to be designed to work together well. Their cloud services still need some work but otherwise the integration with iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch, Apple Music and even HomeKit would make this car interesting from a technological standpoint and provide further customer lock-in. Who wants to switch to Android when your car doesn't work with it and the system you have now also tends to work really well? Most people wouldn't go through the hassle of switching cars to switch phones.

Apple also does not make it's own hardware, it contracts that out, in fact car manufacturers by far make their own products more than Apple does.

…

Making a car is VERY different to making a computer or phone, their ar a lot of regulations that must be followed, and any battery's will also have to follow these guidelines so I'm not sure they will really differ a lot in battery life, but even if they do, by then charging stations should be more available.

As for car design, they will never be standard, because we as humans like different tastes. It would be an incredibly boring dull world if we all drove around in Apple cars. Also manufacturer's share engines and components and chassis designs. But they still all have their own dealers and service centres. Electric cars will be the same.

Apple has started moving some production back to the U.S. My iMac is stamped in the bottom as made in the U.S. I'm hopeful that they will do more of their own production over time—especially as China becomes less profitable. But you're right that car parts are going to be a challenge for them to produce. That's actually what I was saying is that their components will be shared amongst manufacturers, but I could see car companies becoming less involved in making those parts and more involved in designing and engineering them. Or having a standard set of parts that you could choose from depending on the design. Not a standard design itself. Sorry for the confusion.

And computers have been in cars for years, even big screen interfaces have existed for years now, Apple isn't changing that, they just came up with their own idea for interfacing with car systems like Android, but they have nothing to do with controlling a cars functions and features, only for comms and entertainment and satnav.

And that is precisely why Apple is well positioned to come in and make a splash. Jony won't be satisfied until they have control over the entire experience. And that means hardware. Apple makes the vast majority of their money on hardware sales, not software. But it's the software that is key to the experience and why they make so much money. Everything is generally well thought out and designed. If Apple can address the problems and frustrations with modern cars, and can make them environmentally friendly to boot, then that definitely sounds like something they would be interested in doing. You're right that the logistics of it all would be pretty ridiculous. But Tim Cook excels at logistics managing and people underestimate how that skill has helped make Apple what it is today. These are all problems that can be solved. If a company as incompetent as GM can figure it out, surely the bright minds at Apple can with—what is it now—$150 billion in cash? I'm not saying it's going to be easy. They might start out like Tesla only making premium cars. Or they might partner with companies at first or make some buyouts. This is truly uncharted territory but it seems like Apple is very interested in making this happen and given their record on environmental issues, they would definitely want to bring this to a larger audience than just the premium auto market.

 

[kdarling]

Maybe. But I doubt Apple had $20 billion spare to spend on one company purchase back then, Apple will just hire others to do its work, then get someone else to make it like always.

They don't have the cash to spare on one now, unless it's overseas where most of their money is.

 

[McGiord]

2016 Accord EX

Is it a German car???

 

[McGiord]

Rumor, this is just a rumor, a clickbait rumor.

I love apple and I love my BMW i3, but c'mon, this isn't news. Even if its true, companies attempt product sharing all of the time, sometimes it works out, sometimes it falls through. It is not news worthy.

As for the haters, the i3 is an amazing car. I've had mine 12 weeks now and I am NEVER going back! After a vacation in a few weeks I'm going to look at getting a second one actually. We like it that much. I didn't read all of the posts in this thread but it looked like someone was trying to say they are more dirty than a traditional internal combustion engine car, that is just not true, big oil has hired freelance writers to put out ridiculous stories about EV's to attempt to harm their acceptance rating. Not to mention that a lot of EV drivers end up going solar for 100% "Free" driving. Do your own research and you will find out that they are amazingly clean vehicles that only get more clean as they are driven.

With a few tasteful mods, I think my i3 is looking pretty good. I've still got a few other things to do with it, this is only week number 12.

Nice!

Where are you planning to take the trip?

Any difficulties to charge it?
Are you in the U.S.?

If in Europe here are some difficulties as reported by DW:
http://www.dw.com/en/nine-reasons-germany-is-an-e-car-nightmare/a-18609436

 

[diamond.g]

Rumor, this is just a rumor, a clickbait rumor.

I love apple and I love my BMW i3, but c'mon, this isn't news. Even if its true, companies attempt product sharing all of the time, sometimes it works out, sometimes it falls through. It is not news worthy.

As for the haters, the i3 is an amazing car. I've had mine 12 weeks now and I am NEVER going back! After a vacation in a few weeks I'm going to look at getting a second one actually. We like it that much. I didn't read all of the posts in this thread but it looked like someone was trying to say they are more dirty than a traditional internal combustion engine car, that is just not true, big oil has hired freelance writers to put out ridiculous stories about EV's to attempt to harm their acceptance rating. Not to mention that a lot of EV drivers end up going solar for 100% "Free" driving. Do your own research and you will find out that they are amazingly clean vehicles that only get more clean as they are driven.

With a few tasteful mods, I think my i3 is looking pretty good. I've still got a few other things to do with it, this is only week number 12.

Why choose the i3 over the Model S?

 

[McGiord]

Why choose the i3 over the Model S?

Price?
http://m.caranddriver.com/bmw/i3

 

[Banyan Bruce]

here here!

This little car is awesome.

 

[Banyan Bruce]

They were in talks until Jony took a look at that car...It's ridiculously ugly.

This little car is awesome and out there creating a very green ride. If Apple really wants to open a green motor company, go Hydrogen Fuel Cell. Toyota and Kai are already there but could always do with a little help. Battery power, by 2020, will be so..... yesterday.