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Apple Met With Electric Vehicle Startup Canoo in Early 2020, But Talks Fell Apart

swm said:
idk, maybe crumple zones come handy in case of accidents.
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A big incompressible steel engine block is not a great thing to have in front of a driver. Taking that away improves safety. There are different ways of dissipating crash energy, and these vehicles will be built to five star safety standards. Internally, the guts of the vehicle resembles a skateboard. I imagine the designers have thought long and hard about how the skateboard should mangle in the event of a crash.
 
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mannyvel said:
Comments on the outer shell of a car are ridiculous.

Any company can build any body style you want, just like any beer manufacturer can make any beer you want. Choosing one way does not necessarily preclude them from doing it another way, especially if the customer is paying.

In any case, that's a step towards a different kind of car. Without the motor, you don't need the front end to stick out. And you don't need to look forwards if the car drives itself. Why not put a sofa in there, or a wrap-around TV? Heck, for all I care they can make the exterior look like a literal house.
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The front end sticking out is actually a very important safety feature. As a pedestrian, you'd be dead instantly if this thing hits you at 30mph.
 
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Guys, if Apple release a car it's going to comply with safety regulations the world over; if they can do that without a load of wasted space at the front then great. Safety is not something we need to worry about.
 
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Imagine paying money for something that looks like that. The only good looking cars from America look like cars that don't come from America.
 
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Freeangel1 said:
if the Apple car looks like the one in the picture. I NEVER want one.
Any of todays SUV's look so much safer than that cheap unsafe people mover.

I drive a Volvo XC90 V8 AWD. For Safety. And yes it feels SAFE.
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Unlikely to have any resemblance with this utility vehicle. Apple will want to make their own design statement.
 
Right off the top of my head, after glancing at only the last pages of quotes, I can tell you a number of reasons why you might want a protruding engine in front even on an electric car. 1) Aerodynamics are better with a lower profile front to slice into the wind (like an aircraft wing), which improves range. 2) An electric car still has a lead acid battery for powering the 12V electronics, still has regenerative breaking, has the electric battery, the primary electric motor, etc. It makes more sense to have all that not take up space in the passenger compartment (unless perhaps it’s a high profile vehicle like a bus that can have them easily accessible under the passenger compartment). 3) Crumple zones. 4) Pedestrian safety. 5) Better headlight range for manual driving mode (since the headlights are out front). 6) The engine compartment is an important area for helping to establish the profile and design language of a new make or new generation of existing make of car.
 
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bazinga!! said:
The front end sticking out is actually a very important safety feature. As a pedestrian, you'd be dead instantly if this thing hits you at 30mph.
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In fairness 30 mph is a lot for a body to deal with. I’d think most collisions with any other vehicle will be terminal and if not you’ll be severely injured.
 
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Apple is doing what it knows...get a Korean company to make it. The Hyundai car deal resembles their arrangement with Samsung for iPhones...

Canada has substantial capacity to make autos. Apple could build their electric auto with Canadian companies. One benefit is their people would not need to fly to Asia as often.
 
It is difficult to see the synergy between Tesla and Apple.

There is no cultural match. Apple tries to make very polished products, Tesla tries to get the products out as fast as possible.

Tesla has great electric drivetrains and a lot of experience with batteries and (fast) charging, probably more than any other company. Apple has a lot of experience on user interfaces and user experience. However, Tesla already has its own good UI/UX (it is possible not to like it, but it is still well integrated), so Apple can't help much. Tesla is not a premium car manufacturer apart from the price segment, and that is a problem from Apple's brand point of view.

Self-driving? Tesla has some interesting technology, but there are more than a dozen serious players competing with it. Tesla does not seem to win the SAE level 3 race, and it does not seem to have any real competitive edge in level 4. Tesla's lidarless system is less expensive to manufacture than lidar-based systems (used by almost all other players), but the technological challenges are huge.

And, of course, Tesla's valuation has gone through the roof. Any ownership arrangements would be very risky.

I would be slightly surprised if Apple actually aimed at becoming a car manufacturer. At least at the moment there is a big need for well-integrated infotainment systems. VW is struggling with theirs, Toyota is certainly not the top player on that field. Google's Android Automotive OS (used by at least Polestar) seems to be much better than what the traditional car manufacturers have been able to create. That could be a lucrative way forward without entering the actual car manufacturing.
 
Freeangel1 said:
if the Apple car looks like the one in the picture. I NEVER want one.
Any of todays SUV's look so much safer than that cheap unsafe people mover.

I drive a Volvo XC90 V8 AWD. For Safety. And yes it feels SAFE.
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Whether or not you or anyone else likes it, the energy efficiency requirements for cars will become tighter and tighter over time.

This translates into aerodynamic designs (such as Teslas) and smaller mass. This also means electrification and smaller ICEs in cars. Yes, the Canoo looks like something that should never be used above 20 mph due to it being unsafe and having aerodynamic properties of a barn door. But also the safe-looking SUVs are probably going to transform into something quite different, because they are not very energy efficient.
 
LV426 said:
A big incompressible steel engine block is not a great thing to have in front of a driver.
Click to expand...
that's handy, cause in many cases it isn't there. they are designed to fold under the customer compartment in case of extreme crash. and it doesn't fill the engine compartment either. most of energy from the crash is absorbed into folding the front section into an accordion. i agree, you don't necessarily need the front length of a Jag E-type, but in case your safety can be increased by your foot muscles pushing back the other vehicle on frontal impact as it is so close, it'd rather think twice :)
i am sure, designers considered many things, and setups like this make totally sense in an autonomous city-only vehicle with limited top seeds. but that's a death trap at higher speeds. you make it too solid/rigid to maintain physical integrity for the customer compartment, then sudden deceleration will have a huge impact on the passengers.
 
The short sightedness of the peanut gallery is hilarious. The electric car platform is literally a skateboard with a cab bolted on top of it. Apple can craft their own cab. As someone pointed out earlier. In a lineup of products they offer, B2B is probably the only product Apple had any interest in. People suck more and more every time they open their irrational little minds.
 
Shoulda bought Tesla when Elon offered it to Apple. Oh well, mistakes happen Timmy.
 
shanson27 said:
Hmmm 🤔 interesting

Klaus Schwab says – You will own nothing in 10 years​

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I'd rather not own a car.

I would be perfectly happy to just rent a car for a year or two and then get a new one. I would not need to invest money into the car, I would not need to worry about insurances, nor warranty terms or service fees. Someone else would take the risks associated with the residual value. Splendid!

But.... wait... this sounds like leasing a car. But I still own my car because leasing it would be so much more expensive. This may change if the car manufacturers change their business, but with traditional leasing companies it is difficult to see it happen. Digitalization may indeed enable the car manufacturers to change their business model towards Car-as-a-Service model, but despite that change being welcome, it is not something one would call disruptive.

But... wait... is this what we are talking about here? No, we are not talking about owning vs. leasing vs. renting. We are talking about MaaS (Mobility as a Service). In that scenario I do not have a car when I do not need it. A ride (not my car, just a suitable vehicle) just miraculously pops up when I need it, and disappears when I do not need it. I can get from point A to point B without any car owner's worries or even without trying to find a parking lot.

Sounds lovely, does it not? Unfortunately, there are no realistic ways of making this happen anytime soon. Intelligent carpooling telematics combined with level 5 autonomous cars would possibly break the pattern, but level 5 is far, far away. Intelligent carpooling would be otherwise useful with human drivers, but then it would most often be the driver's car (owned leased, stolen, whatever).

There will be a lot of people who "own" a car in 10 years.
 
JPack said:
Too late to partner with Tesla.

Maybe Apple has a chance with NIO, if they're even interested.
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Had to google Nio because I had no idea what it was and none of my friends did either. SO its a chinese electric car company? I think Apple is trying to associate its brand to more of a luxury, and high quality product. Chinese tech companies are lacking a LOT in that department (if any). Thats probably the last thing anyone in the globe thinks about when thinking of luxury, prestige, and $$$. A Tesla, or a Lexus, or a BMW would make waaaaay more sense for Apple.

Chinese tech companies are probably 10 years behind almost everyone out there. Using stolen intellectual properties built by Japanese, American, and Korean companies. There is a reason why Tesla had to use LG batteries because they can actually keep up with Tesla's tech advances. And if you ask anybody in the world, nobody will want an Apple car built by a Chinese company. Which is heavily (sadly still today) associated with low class, cheap built quality, 'discount brand' vibe, knock off vibe, and third world-ness.

So no, nothing Chinese please. We're talking luxury tech products .. not door knobs and toilet seats.
 
Anyone thinking that driving that car would be cool needs some serious retrospective time.
Sadly I think many will just get the dang thing, no matter how hideous it is, just because of the brand.
 
LV426 said:
A big incompressible steel engine block is not a great thing to have in front of a driver.
Click to expand...
that's handy, cause in many cases it isn't there. they are designed to fold under the customer compartment in case of extreme crash. and it doesn't fill the engine compartment either. most of energy from the crash is absorbed into folding the front section into an accordion. i agree, you don't necessarily need the front length of a Jag E-type, but in case your safety can be increased by your foot muscles pushing back the other vehicle on frontal impact as it is so close, it'd rather think twice :)
i am sure, designers considered many things, and setups like this make totally sense in an autonomous city-only vehicle with limited top seeds. but that's a death trap at higher speeds. you make it too solid/rigid to maintain physical integrity for the customer compartment, then sudden deceleration will have a huge impact on the passengers.
 
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