Apple has abandoned the development of electric cars, as reported by United States (U.S.) media outlets. Apple employed 2.000 people in the secretive car development program but faced increasingly stiff competition from electric vehicle manufacturers.
The goal of “Project Titan,” which began around 2014, was to develop an autonomous car. The decision to shut down the project was internally announced on Tuesday, according to reports from Bloomberg and The New York Times, citing unnamed sources.
Reportedly, Apple invested billions of dollars into the project. The tech giant did not respond to requests to comment. Apple never publicly disclosed its plans for electric vehicles, despite constant leaks from the media over the years.
In 2022, a website published a report detailing the project’s issues, including the departure of several managers due to a lack of support from leadership. Sales of several U.S. electric car manufacturers have suffered in recent months as demand has declined.
Autonomous car manufacturers Cruise and Waymo, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, are also struggling to expand their products beyond San Francisco. Elon Musk’s Tesla, one of the leaders in the electric vehicle industry, has also warned of slower growth in 2024.
In a post on X, Musk responded to the news of Apple shutting down its electric car project with a “farewell” and “cigarette” emojis. Apple will reportedly relocate many employees from the electric car department to artificial intelligence (AI) projects.
