It is no exaggeration to say that Tesla was the biggest issue surrounding the electric vehicle market in 2020. However, a new, unexpected rival emerged in December, “Apple”. Although Apple’s entry into the electric vehicle market was unclear, the global economic market was excited. The entire market was shaken by the unconfirmed rumor that Apple, which dominates the PC and mobile markets already, may enter another IT sector, the automobile sector.

Apple has undertaken some research and development efforts to enter the automobile market. Apple has been working on a car-related research project, called the “Titan Project” since at least 2015, with hundreds of people involved in the specific project. Apple registered three patents for its self-driving car system in August 2019. The first patent is to drive to the nearest coffee shop when you say “I want to drink coffee” to Siri while driving. The second is to park automatically when the driver points to a specific parking area. The third is to automatically recognize a parking space nearby when the driver chooses a destination. In 2017, Apple also requested approval to test self-driving cars in California.

In fact, Reuters Media reported that Apple is aiming to launch a self-driving electric vehicle in 2024. Apple said it is developing an innovative battery that will be totally different from Tesla, or any other electric vehicle. According to an Apple insider, the overall qualification of Apple cars can be estimated as self-driving battery-based electric vehicles. Even if Apple does not manufacture electric vehicles themselves, Apple is expected to develop various systems, software, and infrastructure that will be used in electric vehicle products. Apple has continuously developed their skills as they established an independent OS for their PC and smartphone products. In other words an integrated automotive OS is one of the areas that Apple is most approved of.

Tony Aquila, CEO of Solera Holdings, said “Apple’s strong brand value, technology, power of purchasing and funding will have a very positive impact on the development of the whole electric vehicle market.” In fact, experts predict that the electric vehicle market, which currently has only a 2.5 percent share of the vehicle market, will occupy more than 30
percent within five years. Representative automakers such as Hyundai, KIA, Honda, and Ford are scrambling to release their newest electric vehicles. The era of electric cars, which were thought to have a vague future, is now just around the corner.