Apple’s fully self-driving car downgrade: adding steering wheel and pedals, delaying release by one year

Apple self-driving test car

Phoenix Net Technology News Beijing on December 7th news, people familiar with the matter said that Apple originally planned to provide its future electric vehicles with ambitious self-driving functions, but has now scaled back this plan and pushed the car’s goal to launch. The date has been pushed back by about a year to 2026.

Apple’s car project, internally codenamed “Titan,” has been in limbo over the past few months. Apple executives are grappling with the reality that the vision of a fully self-driving car without a steering wheel or pedals is not feasible given current technology.

Apple has made major changes to its self-driving car project and is planning a less ambitious design that would include a steering wheel and pedals and only support fully autonomous driving on highways, people familiar with the matter said. Apple currently plans to develop cars that allow owners to perform other tasks on the highway, such as watching movies or playing games. If they hit a city street or encounter inclement weather, the car has enough time to remind the owner to switch to manual control. Apple has discussed launching the feature in North America first, then gradually improving and expanding the rollout of the feature.

Apple originally wanted to offer “Level 5” autonomy in its cars, the highest level of self-driving technology that no automaker has yet achieved. Apple’s current plan puts more restrictions on its self-driving features, below the “level 5” level.

The latest tweak underscores the challenge Apple faces in moving into an entirely new product category and overcoming technical hurdles. These technological hurdles have plagued some of the world’s largest companies. The Apple Car project, which has been underway for years in secret, is intended to give Apple another major moneymaker, but it could also test the iPhone maker to its limits.

Apple shares, already down about 2 percent on Tuesday, fell further after the news. Apple shares have fallen 19 percent this year, though that has outperformed most of the Nasdaq Composite. (Author/Xiao Yu)

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