Apple in-talks with LiDAR suppliers for self-driving car

Apple is reportedly in discussions with LiDAR sensor suppliers for its self-driving car project. The report is by Bloomberg, and it states that the company is looking for “cutting edge” sensors. The release schedule of the Apple Car is set to be four to five years from now, according to industry experts.

For the Apple Car’s LiDAR sensors, the company is in talks with many suppliers. The laser based LiDAR sensors help a car “see” everything around it. Apple already packs LiDAR sensors on the iPad Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro series, to help improve low-light photography and also improve augmented reality (AR) experiences.

Apple Car is back on track

The rumours of Apple working on a car started to spike once again, earlier this year. In 2013, the company was reportedly working on a project but then decided to keep the project on hold. However, it looks like the self-driving Apple Car project is back on track once again. The project was previously rumoured to be led by Apple engineer Bob Mansfield.

Reports from various sources suggest that Apple has already developed self-driving AI software and algorithms. It could however only be in the very early testing phase as the car is said to not release for another four to five years. Tesla happens to be the only car company that has invested heavily in self-driving and has actually delivered, at the moment. If Apple does indeed release a car, Elon Musk’s Tesla will finally have some competition.

For the actual hardware of the car, Apple was previously reported to be in talks with Hyundai. It was later added that Hyundai was willing to let its subsidiary Kia Motors manufacture the Apple Car. However, after the story leaked and after Hyundai confirming the “talks” between the two companies, Apple has reportedly decided to not work with Hyundai but it could be vice-versa as well.