Documents seen by The Guardian imply that Apple really is working on its own self-driving car.
Under a Public Records Act request, The Guardian newspaper obtained records of correspondence between Apple engineers and officials at the GoMentum Station: a 2,100-acre former naval base, 40 miles north of San Francisco. The facility contains 20 miles of paved roads and city streets, as well as cattle grids, railway crossings and bridges. It is used as a testing ground for autonomous vehicles. Mercedes-Benz and Honda have already carried out trials here.
Apple hired Johann Jungwirth from Mercedes last SeptemberApple’s self-driving electric car is said to be codenamed Project Titan. Engineer Frank Fearon wrote to the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, owner of the GoMentum Station, to say, “We would … like to get an understanding of timing and availability for the space, and how we would need to coordinate around other parties who would be using [it]”. Jack Hall, project manager for autonomous vehicles at the Station, later wrote to Fearon to postpone a tour, but added, “We would still like to meet in order to keep everything moving and to meet your testing schedule”.
Interest in an Apple car has been building for some time. CEO Tim Cook is said to have met with executives from various car firms in recent months, and to have toured BMW’s i3 electric car assembly line in Germany last year. Apple has also hired automotive experts from various car companies, including Mercedes-Benz.
Randy Iwasaki, executive director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, is limited by an NDA signed with Apple. He told The Guardian, “We can’t tell you anything other than they’ve come in and they’re interested”.
