Akira Yoshino, a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry for his work on Lithium-ion batteries, spoke with Reuters about the electric future and the Apple Car. Yoshino predicts that Apple will announce its plans to build a car sooner rather than later.
According to Yoshino, with all the changes expected in the next few years, Apple can’t wait much longer to announce something about the Apple Car, so he expects an announcement by the end of this year.
As for now, it’s still unclear when or what Apple will announce in regards to the Apple Car and even his personal hypothesis seems a bit off, given Apple’s approach to secrecy, although it makes sense for the industry in general.
Tesla has their own independent strategy. The one to look out for is Apple. What will they do? I think they may announce something soon. And what kind of car would they announce? What kind of battery? They probably want to get in around 2025. If they do that, I think they have to announce something by the end of this year. That’s just my own personal hypothesis.
With all the rumors so far, the Apple Car could be some kind of car tech, autonomous car for ride sharing, or even a full-on car that consumers can lease or buy outright.
One of the things Yoshino talks about in this interview is that the “biggest potential” for electric cars is in sharing:
Since it’s still very unclear what Apple will do about the Apple Car, the latest rumors point out that the company could develop its car technology with a Korean partner. In California, Apple has expanded its self-driving test fleet again, although every now and then the company just cuts half of its drivers.
I think the biggest potential is in sharing. If autonomous electric vehicles can become practical, that will cause a huge change in the way people use vehicles.
In July, a report said the Apple Watch and Health exec Kevin Lynch would be joining the Apple Car team but even that doesn’t say much on how things are going with this project.
You can find all the latest rumors about the Apple Car here.
