Apple Developing Next-Level Battery Technology For Its Upcoming Apple Car Production

First reported by Reuters , Apple is pushing the development of self-driving car technology and plans to manufacture a passenger car that ma...

First reported by Reuters, Apple is pushing the development of self-driving car technology and plans to manufacture a passenger car that may include its breakthrough battery technology in 2024.

According to a third-party person familiar with Apple's battery design, the heart of Apple's strategy is a new battery design that can "completely" reduce battery costs and increase vehicle mileage.

Apple declined to comment on its plans or future products.

It is not clear which company will be responsible for assembling Apple-branded cars, but sources stated they expect the company to rely on manufacturing partners to build cars. Moreover, it's possible that the company would still choose to focus on autonomous driving systems instead of building Apple-branded cars.

People familiar with Apple's plan warned that the pandemic may delay production until 2025 or later.

Two people familiar with the matter said that Apple has decided to hire external partners to build components of autonomous driving systems such as LiDAR sensors that can help autonomous vehicles obtain a three-dimensional view of the road. In addition, Apple cars may be outfitted with multiple LiDAR sensors to scan different distances, and that some sensors may come from a lidar unit developed internally by Apple.

It's said that for car batteries, Apple plans to adopt a unique "Monocell" design to cut costs and increase the range of electric vehicles.

Such a design means that more active materials can be filled inside the battery, allowing the car to travel longer. People familiar with the matter said that Apple is also studying a battery chemical composition called "LFP" lithium iron phosphate, which is inherently less likely to overheat and is, therefore, safer than other types of lithium batteries.

Evidently, the people claim that the battery technology is "next level" and said that it's similar to "the first time you saw the iPhone."

A person familiar with the matter said that Apple had previously worked with Magna International Inc. Negotiations were held to manufacture cars, but because Apple's plan became unclear, the negotiations eventually fell through. Magna did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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