Apple's older vision for the car was to offer Level 5 autonomy, which is the highest level of self-driving technology. This is a milestone that no other automaker has reached yet. The current plan is considered below that because of its more limited scope.
The rumored Apple car will supposedly offer enough autonomy that you can play games or watch video on the highway, but ask you to take control when it's time to drive on city streets or through adverse weather. The insiders claim that Apple is planning to debut the hands-free technology in North America first and gradually make it available globally.
The heart of Apple's technology is a powerful onboard computer system - codenamed Denali after the tallest mountain peak in North America - and a custom array of sensors. The processor's performance is equal to about four of Apple's highest-end Mac chips combined and is being developed by the company's silicon engineering group.
Having an onboard computer to handle automated tasks is similar to an approach used by other carmakers, including Tesla Inc. Apple, however, plans to differ from Tesla by using a combination of lidar and radar sensors, along with cameras. The setup helps the car determine its location, see driving lanes, and assess how far it is from other objects and people. Tesla relies on cameras, while Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo and others use a combination. In addition to the onboard hardware, the system has a cloud-based component for some artificial-intelligence processing.
Apple hasn't yet settled on a design for its car and the vehicle is considered to be in the "pre-prototype" stage. The company is aiming to ready the design by next year and have the features set by the end of 2024. It then plans to put the car through extensive testing in 2025.
Apple previously estimated that each car would go for more than $120,000; however, they are now planning to give the vehicle to consumers below $100,000, as stated by the people. That puts it in approximately the same price range as Tesla's entry-level Model S and Mercedes' EQS .
Source: Bloomberg
