The all-electric Apple Car is said to be inching towards reality and Apple is rumored to be having discussions with Toyota about it.
Ever since Apple restarted its car project late last year, it has held discussions with a plethora of car manufacturers and automotive suppliers to try and bring it to the market. At the start of the year, it held discussions with Hyundai and also met with several Chinese suppliers earlier this year. However, these suppliers weren’t willing to allow Apple to build batteries in the United States.
In recent weeks, Apple has had talks with the likes of Panasonic, LG, Samsung, and SK Innovation and according to DigiTimesAsia, the technology giant is said to be in Japan visiting Toyota.
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As Apple is new to the automotive industry, it is expected to rely on a manufacturing partner to build the vehicle, rather than handling production itself. It remains to be seen if it views Toyota as a potential production partner or if it could rely on Toyota as a supplier.
Previous reports have indicated that Apple is working on its own unique battery design aimed at minimizing cost while also increasing range compared to a conventional EV. Sources claim that Apple’s battery could feature a ‘monocell’ design that won’t require pouches and modules to hold battery materials. This would allow for more active material in a smaller package. It is also said to be investigating the use of lithium iron phosphate that is less likely to overheat than traditional lithium-ion batteries.
