There’s an adage about omelettes and broken eggs…
An Apple Lexus SUV test car was rear-ended by a Nissan Leaf while merging onto the Lawrence Expressway in California’s Bay Area on August 24th. The Apple vehicle suffered “moderate” damage and the Leaf, which was moving at 15 miles per hour, was also damaged.
While details are still forthcoming, it’s presently unclear as to whether the accident was the fault of the Nissan driver, Apple’s hardware and software, or some combination of the two.
Apple has been working on self-driving car technology for several years, originally under the moniker “Project Titan.” While the company was originally thought to be after a fully self-designed vehicle, at one point the effort downscaled to a platform, and further rumors suggested the long-term goal had shifted to ride-hailing.
Well-connected industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that he believes the company will still deliver an “Apple Car” sometime between 2023 and 2025. This, in turn dovetails with former engineering executive Doug Field having recently returned to Cupertino after a nearly five-year stint at Tesla.
Apple has dozens of self-driving test cars on California roads, and that number may continue to increase once a real-world product is on the horizon.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and TechCrunch