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Report: Apple Targeting 2019 for Electric Car Launch

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Apple's electric driving car is moving full speed ahead.

Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal on Monday reported that Apple is aiming to start shipping its rumored electric car in 2019. The Cupertino tech giant is reportedly "accelerating" its electric car efforts after spending more than a year investigating whether it could actually make the project, known internally as Titan, a reality.

Apple has given its project leaders the go-ahead to triple Cupertino's 600-person electric vehicle team, the Journal's sources said. That team includes self-driving car experts, but Apple doesn't plan to make its first electric vehicle fully autonomous.

"That capability is part of the product's long-term plans," the Journal reported.

So does this mean we should expect to see Apple Cars on the roads before the end of the decade? Not necessarily. As the Journal pointed out, Apple has a long way to go before it can bring a car to market, and not everyone is convinced it will happen so soon.

"Once Apple completes its designs and prototypes, a vehicle would still need to undergo a litany of tests before it could clear regulatory hurdles," according to the report. "People familiar with the project said there is skepticism within the team that the 2019 target is achievable."

In February, Bloomberg suggested a 2020 timeline for an Apple vehicle.

The news comes after The Guardian last week reported that Apple's legal team met with the California Department of Motor Vehicles last month to review the state's self-driving car regulations. Apple's Senior Legal Counsel Mike Maletic reportedly had an hour-long meeting on Aug. 17 with self-driving car experts at the DMV.

Rumors about Apple's automotive ambitions date back to February when Reuters and The Wall Street Journal reported that Cupertino has "several hundred" employees working on an electric car. The rumors heated up this summer when word spread that Apple hired Doug Betts, former head of global quality at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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