The rumor mill is simmering: is the iCar coming soon?
Apple has been developing technology for autonomous driving for years.
Now the US group has secured top manager Ulrich Kranz.
Cupertino / California - Will Apple soon compete with Tesla?
A personality of the US technology group makes you sit up and take notice: Apple Car brings the former BMW manager Ulrich Kranz on board.
Kranz worked for BMW for 30 years, where he played a key role in the development of the i3 and i8 electric vehicles.
He then ran a start-up for electric cars with Canoo.
Apple cars: Kranz will work with ex-Tesla experts in the future
It is known so far that Ulrich Kranz will work in the Doug Field team.
Field had previously been with Tesla for five years, leading Tesla Model 3 production.
Originally, Field Tesla only left Tesla for a short time in 2018 to “spend more time with his family”.
However, the break turned into a farewell, shortly afterwards Field hired Apple Car.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk called him one of the "most talented executives in engineering".
Ulrich Kranz, together with Field, should help Apple achieve success in the electric car sector.
Apple is to plan a self-driving car by 2024 and, according to online reports, are currently in negotiations with Chinese companies with regard to battery deliveries.
Earlier in the year, rumors were circulating that South Korean automaker Hyundai could become an Apple partner.
A month later there was talk of a partnership with Kia.
Apple officially confirmed the move from Kranz, but did not provide any further details.
Apple car: is Tesla facing competition now?
Apple is not the only company that wants to compete with Tesla. The German car manufacturer Volkswagen wants to become the market leader in the field of e-mobility. The flagship is the VW Trinity, which will roll off the production line from 2026. Tesla is currently unimpressed by the developments at VW and Apple and is apparently moving into a new business area: It was recently announced that Tesla had secured brand protection in the hospitality sector.
The US group may soon be building restaurants at its charging stations. This would enable electric car owners to pass the waiting time while their cars are charging. The long charging time is currently seen as the Achilles' heel in the field of electromobility. Volkswagen has therefore set itself the goal of “charging as quickly as refueling”. It is still unclear whether Tesla, Apple, Volkswagen or maybe even another provider will be the first to achieve this goal.
If you take autonomously driven routes in 2020 as a benchmark, others are currently ahead: Cruise (General Motors) covered over a million kilometers, Waymo (Alphabet) just under a million and PONY.AI. over 300,000 kilometers. In comparison, Apple was far behind with around 30,000 kilometers. This is based on information from
Forbes
. Nevertheless, Ulrich Kranz's personality is now causing new speculations.