Elon Musk Says Apple's Electric Car Project is an 'Open Secret'

[freeskier93]

And look like crapp, but I get your point. Electric cars have advantages in acceleration over internal combustion engine. Once cost comes down (which seems like it is about to happen), gas cars are going to struggle to compete. Low gas prices are going to help. They will help a lot. But still there are just limitations. The electric cars will be faster, handle better and be cheaper to drive "per mile". Once they start capturing the part of the market of people who commute 30 to 40 miles to work each day, they are really going to get going. Those are the folks that wear out their cars and buy another one every four or five years. Those are the "high value" customers. Tesla already is capturing the folks who like cars as a driving toy.

I wouldn't say it's terrible looking, but I'm certainly no Chevy fan either. I'd personally wait until Hyundai releases full details about their EV and until Tesla announces Model 3 details.

 

[StoneJack]

I have now hybrid, Honda Civic, aside from occasional battery glitches, drives fine

 

[Rigby]

You're quite unaware of the strain that gasoline puts on our electric system, aren't you?

It takes 6 kWh of electricity to produce one gallon of gasoline. 6 kWh of energy is enough to drive an electric car 20 miles, aka, as much as a gallon of gas.

So we can easily supply the electricity for electric cars by just shifting electricity away from the oil refineries, as demand for gas falls, and to car charging stations.

I don't disagree with your bigger argument, but this calculation is a bit skewed for two reasons:

- Gasoline is just one of the byproducts of oil refining. In fact it only makes up about a third of the output. The rest are middle destilates (such as diesel and kerosene), heating oil, and things like polymers and lubricants that you also get for the 6kWh and that would still be required even if all gasoline cars would vanish.
- Modern gas-hybrid cars (non-plugin) can get about 40-50 MPG rather than 20.

But I too believe that the electric grid will not be a bottleneck for scaling up electric vehicles anytime soon. The major problems are rather cost and energy density of the batteries (which is only about a tenth of that of diesel fuel) as well as the recharging times (for long-range trips).

 

[VMMan]

I think Musk is worried that Apple will assign Dr Dre to the car project.

 

[dwhittington]

Reminds me of an interview with the CEO of Handspring prior to release of the iPhone.

In an interview with the BBC, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said it is an "open secret" that Apple is developing an electric car. Musk made the statement when asked if he had heard anything about Apple's car development plans and went on to highlight the huge number of hires Apple has made as evidence.

"Well, it's pretty hard to hide something if you hire over a thousand engineers to do it," he said, before adding that he believed Apple was serious about the project. "This is an open secret."

Musk went on say Tesla welcomes participation by any company that wants to create electric vehicles, but he cautioned that it's "quite hard to do." He brushed off the interviewer's question of whether an Apple car would be a threat to Tesla, and said that he believes Apple will develop a "compelling" electric car because "it seems like the obvious thing to do."

Musk is aware of Apple's hiring efforts because Apple has made an effort to hire former Tesla employees for its car project. The two companies have developed something of a rivalry as they compete for talent, leading Musk to take a jab at Apple in an October interview, saying "If you don't make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple," a statement he later retracted.

The first rumors surrounding Apple's car project, allegedly codenamed "Project Titan," surfaced in early 2015. Since then, Apple has recruited dozens of engineers and researchers from the automotive industry and other car-related fields, poaching employees from companies like Tesla, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Volkswagen, Samsung, and more.


Over the past few months, there's been a growing body of evidence pointing towards work on a car. Apple sought out a secure testing facility for testing electric vehicles in May of 2015, and met with DMV officials to discuss the laws and regulations surrounding self-driving vehicles in California in September. Most recently, Apple registered three auto-related top-level domain names, including apple.car, apple.cars, and apple.auto.

Little is known about Apple's car project, but the company is rumored to be working on an electric vehicle. Rumors have disagreed on the topic of autonomy, but the most recent information suggests that while Apple is exploring self-driving technology, it is a feature that may come in a later version of the Apple Car.

Article Link: Elon Musk Says Apple's Electric Car Project is an 'Open Secret'

 

[kingchevy7]

So in other words, don't buy first Gen Apple Car. For some reason I find this hilarious. I won't buy a first Gen Apple product ever again since I was burned on the iPad.

You guys are ridiculous lol. There will always be a better generation of every product on the market. That doesn't devalue what you already knew you were getting for your money.

 

[ChrisA]

They sure won't sell if gas prices stay the way they are.....$

In the long term oil will be so expensive no one would consider burning it. Like today no one burns diamonds for fuel.

When will this happen? Maybe in 20 years. I think Apple is getting into this for the long term because they know that eventually phones and computers will be nearly free

Self driving electric cars will revolutionize cities. What if the cars are shared? then you could call any available car to come and pick you up. Like Uber but with no driver. There would be no need for parking lots near shopping centers. The car could go off and park at some distant location or go and give some other person a ride while you shop.

A car might not be something that you own. You'd pay buy the mile. Homes would no need a parking space. Your car would drop you at your door then leave.

About "Windows". Why would you need them? Why would the seats even need to face forward. On a long trip I think I might want to close the curtains and take a nap,

 

[MacLC]

I think he'll be proven correct. Just as when Apple developed the iPhone, the general consensus was that smartphones were a niche market. Now they're ubiquitous. With so many accidents on the road, self-driving cars could provide a much greater margin of safety.

The biggest hurdle for self-driving cars will be the legal system. Right now, being in an accident while driving 66 in a 65 zone constitutes negligence but in many situations, driving 66 in a 65 zone means getting passed by truckers. In other words, the speed is technically both too slow and too fast (source: a friend who is a judge)
Even if autonomous vehicles reduce accidents, if and when an accident happens with an autonomous vehicles there will be a lot of drama regarding culpability no matter what speed the vehicle was traveling.

It also sounds as though Elon Musk is softening his tune. Perhaps some of his aura needs a little polishing. Maybe he realizes Apple has the dollars that he wishes he had to build the production capacity he needs to scale up to profits without going bankrupt. A little Apple envy never hurts.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

Concentrate on Tesla in terms of QC issues that are still ongoing and not worry about 2 competitors with much deeper pockets.

 

[goobot]

You guys are ridiculous lol. There will always be a better generation of every product on the market. That doesn't devalue what you already knew you were getting for your money.

The original iPad got 1 and a half os updates and it runs like garbage because Apple chose to put no ram in it. The iPhone 4 which ran the same processor and came out only 3 months later had twice the amount of ram. The original iPad also had cut outs for the camera and gyroscope in the chassis. All of this not only killed the original iPad quick but was the only new features of the iPad 2 which Apple intentionally left back just to screw early adopters.

 

[gbc204]

Getting rid of disk drives, optical drives, headphone jacks, ethernet ports... It only makes sense that Apple would develop a driverless car and get rid of that pesky driver.

 

[padapada]

There's no getting around it. It's just going to have to have Windows!

On the other hand, An OSX El Capitan based icar would be really interesting.

Not in a million years would I trust a car driven by software written by Apple software engineers.

 

[djlythium]

They're pretty well selling as well as expected considering that there hasn't been a compelling mass market (affordable) car to hit the market yet. So far the've all either been crippled by low range, ugly, or expensive. This will change rapidly starting next year with the model III, chevy bolt, etc. Driverless electric cars using a system like UBER will be the new reality within 15 years.

Agreed. AUTonomous On-demand Mobility (AUTOmobile?) will be the radical shift we'll see within our lifetime.

 

[juanm]

I'm pretty sure Musk wants competition.
Tesla is going to be the premium electric car brand for the foreseeable future. If they get a lot of other companies releasing electric cars, that would increase the demand for charge stations and influence public perception that electric cars are practical.
Basically increasing the overall demand by a large amount, and lose sales to the new competitors by a small amount = net win.

Also having Apple pushing in the same direction to get changes in regulations that Tesla would greatly benefit from (autonomous driving, etc)

 

[doelcm82]

Maybe not, but tech enthusiasts can. There's a Tesla API. Example script you can write:

Get GPS coordinates of car.
Look up weather for GPS coordinates.
If it'll rain and the sunroof is open, close it.

Another example:
Is it hot in the car?
Is the sunroof closed?
Crack it to vent the heat.

A final one:
Is the car at home?
Is it not plugged in?
Send a push notification to my phone reminding me to plug it in.

If my car (a 2004 Buick) broke down tomorrow, I'd pull the trigger and get a Tesla Model S. I'm currently holding out and planning for the Model 3 though... it'll put a lot less stress on my budget.

I was going to post something like this. Car Tech enthusiasts are the car enthusiasts of the future. (Not that ICE isn't technology. Even a hammer is technology.)

My brother bought as basic a car as he could find, so that he could teach his kids how to change the oil and do other basic maintenance. But he didn't teach them how to shoe a horse. He taught them the technology that he grew up with.

Chances are his kids will teach their kids a different kind of technology, such as how to program digital computers. And it will be of questionable value if those kids grow up into a world of quantum computers that don't follow simple WHILE x<y DO logic.

 

[RobertMartens]

Musk is so arrogant, but guess at that level of accomplishment it is a common trait.

This seems to be the default comment "Arrogant" I don't see that at all. He is good at what he does and has a good time doing it. You are reading what ever you want to see into it.

 

[berlysario]

That would be something great.

 

[BvizioN]

eHang 184 is really what the Apple Car should be!

I get the feeling this "drone" is going to be a vaporware. Pretty cool and exactly what the future transportation should/will be. But I just think is a bit too soon for that, we are just not there yet.

 

[MH01]

If Apple makes a $50K car, competitors will make a $40K car, to call the Apple's car "expensive".

If Apple makes a $30K car, competitors will make a $20K car, to call the Apple's car "expensive".

If Apple makes a $30K car, competitors will make a $20K car, to call the Apple's car "expensive".

If Apple makes a $10K car, competitors will make a $5K car, to call the Apple's car "expensive".

All competitors will use Google's self-driving systems, that will bomb you with Ads, and will "suggest" you to go to destinations that advertise with Google, and use auto-insurance that will "partner with Google".

Mate, in case you have not noticed, a Tesla is not a cheap car, the entry point for an electric is high. Most people cannot afford a Tesla....I can see an apple care being cheaper....do you understand my point now?

 

[Luke_Macadam]

So in other words, don't buy first Gen Apple Car. For some reason I find this hilarious. I won't buy a first Gen Apple product ever again since I was burned on the iPad.

I agree. It is cool to have the first generation product but not safe.

 

[chromite]

You're quite unaware of the strain that gasoline puts on our electric system, aren't you?

It takes 6 kWh of electricity to produce one gallon of gasoline. 6 kWh of energy is enough to drive an electric car 20 miles, aka, as much as a gallon of gas.

So we can easily supply the electricity for electric cars by just shifting electricity away from the oil refineries, as demand for gas falls, and to car charging stations.
[doublepost=1452570308][/doublepost]

Maybe not, but tech enthusiasts can. There's a Tesla API. Example script you can write:

Get GPS coordinates of car.
Look up weather for GPS coordinates.
If it'll rain and the sunroof is open, close it.

Another example:
Is it hot in the car?
Is the sunroof closed?
Crack it to vent the heat.

A final one:
Is the car at home?
Is it not plugged in?
Send a push notification to my phone reminding me to plug it in.

If my car (a 2004 Buick) broke down tomorrow, I'd pull the trigger and get a Tesla Model S. I'm currently holding out and planning for the Model 3 though... it'll put a lot less stress on my budget.

This is all great but one of the reasons I love driving is because manual transmissions are fun. These don't exist in electric cars obviously so I won't be buying an electric vehicle for some time

 

[Whitelobster]

I'm sure Apple will have all the hardware built in and like Tesla, enable them with software updates.

My employer has the top of the line P85+ that Tesla first rolled out and my dad has the more recent P85D.

They spent the same amount of cash, but only my dad's is autopilot ready. He has TONS of hardware not available a mere 2-3 years later. So much for software updates.

 

[diipii]

In an interview with the BBC, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said it is an "open secret" that Apple is developing an electric car. Musk made the statement when asked if he had heard anything about Apple's car development plans and went on to highlight the huge number of hires Apple has made as evidence.

"Well, it's pretty hard to hide something if you hire over a thousand engineers to do it," he said, before adding that he believed Apple was serious about the project. "This is an open secret."

Musk went on say Tesla welcomes participation by any company that wants to create electric vehicles, but he cautioned that it's "quite hard to do." He brushed off the interviewer's question of whether an Apple car would be a threat to Tesla, and said that he believes Apple will develop a "compelling" electric car because "it seems like the obvious thing to do."

Musk is aware of Apple's hiring efforts because Apple has made an effort to hire former Tesla employees for its car project. The two companies have developed something of a rivalry as they compete for talent, leading Musk to take a jab at Apple in an October interview, saying "If you don't make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple," a statement he later retracted.

The first rumors surrounding Apple's car project, allegedly codenamed "Project Titan," surfaced in early 2015. Since then, Apple has recruited dozens of engineers and researchers from the automotive industry and other car-related fields, poaching employees from companies like Tesla, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Volkswagen, Samsung, and more.


Over the past few months, there's been a growing body of evidence pointing towards work on a car. Apple sought out a secure testing facility for testing electric vehicles in May of 2015, and met with DMV officials to discuss the laws and regulations surrounding self-driving vehicles in California in September. Most recently, Apple registered three auto-related top-level domain names, including apple.car, apple.cars, and apple.auto.

Little is known about Apple's car project, but the company is rumored to be working on an electric vehicle. Rumors have disagreed on the topic of autonomy, but the most recent information suggests that while Apple is exploring self-driving technology, it is a feature that may come in a later version of the Apple Car.

Article Link: Elon Musk Says Apple's Electric Car Project is an 'Open Secret'

It's car shaped but it is actually a toilet for apple to pour its money down because they don't live in the real world any more.

 

[You are the One]

Wireless charging. Rose Gold and Space Gray.

 

[matt3526]

The built in non-removable computer will also double as the stereo and the sat nav and of course, you'll have 3 options of flash drive to store all those maps and mp3s on - 16gb, 32gb, 128gb with each option raising the cost of the car by £5k