The Apple Car manufacturing chain is coming together, report says

Apple’s secret plans remain secret. (Image c/o Michelangelo Carrieri/Flickr)

Apple seems to have set up at least part of the Apple Car manufacturing chain, with suppliers in Korea battling to be part of the drive, a report claims. Apple is working to select suppliers by the end of the year, with mass production to follow within up to three years.

What the report claims

• Apple reps visited South Korea in December 2021
• They met with local suppliers
• They had met some of these on a previous visit in summer ‘21
• Apple seeks suppliers capable of mass-producing core vehicle components.

The report says some suppliers have actively got together to form a task force to work together to meet Apple’s requests. They hope that cooperation will help them stake space in what they expect will be a valuable supply chain.

Potential suppliers are also interested that Apple has allegedly invested in at least one manufacturer in exchange for a far higher production capacity.

Getting the team together

The news follows a revelation earlier that Apple began reaching out to components suppliers in the APAC region as far back as 2020. At that time the company even shared some Apple Car schematics with a potential supplier of in-vehicle climate control systems called Sanden. Sanden encountered major financial problems and Apple exited the deal.

Will it be based on E-GMP? Answer: Nope

In early 2021, we heard Apple had entered talks with Hyundai to discuss vehicle manufacturing.

Those discussions had even led to agreement on where manufacturing would take place, but the manufacturer slipped news of the deal driving Apple to abandon Hyundai to preserve project secrecy. Apple is now thought to be working with LG and Magna, though others in its supply chain may also be able to support the project.

Meanwhile in Korea, we’re told suppliers haven’t been given any exact specifications for the vehicle.

It also suggests that even if they had been provided with such insight, they would refrain from saying anything as sharing any details would see them kicked out of the supply chain. Apple is also demanding a high degree of overall control in this project.

[Also read: Apple Car will be as disruptive to transport as combustion]

It won’t be like a car

What will be so special about the car?

The report does hint at some of the critical areas in Apple’s plan. It is discussing battery production with LG and SK and wants to develop and manufacture them directly under conditions of extreme secrecy. We recently heard of an innovative Apple patent for on-board and off-board charging for the battery.

We imagine Apple has looked at every component that comprises a car, and has mapped and photographed every drivable road it could get to in many nations.

Apple patents at present suggest the vehicle could offer some or all the following uniquely patented features:

• LED lighting systems on the body work capable of showing messages, such as emergency messages or registration information.
• Two-way Lidar systems, so Apple Car can both recognize and be recognized by other vehicles.
• Face ID
• Personalized climate controls that respond to the needs of different people and different parts of te body.
• Reactive glass in windows
• Swivel seating and a unique airbag system along with patented seatbelt buckles.
• Gesture controls – swipe left to turn left…
• Smart fabrics in the interior.

A Bloomberg report states that Apple has developed a processor for a self-driving, autonomous vehicle (as previously speculated) without a steering wheel or pedals. This is significant as most development in the smart car space seems to have settled around semi-autonomous transport.

Interestingly, and probably unrelated given the importance of Korea to the looming Apple Car ecosystem, Apple recently decided to comply with a local regulators there and permit third party payment services at the App Store.

Via: MacRumors

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