SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 28: Apple has abandoned its ambitions to produce an electric car, US media reported Tuesday, ending a struggling decade-long project.
The iPhone maker had dedicated nearly 2,000 employees to its secretive car development program, Bloomberg reported, but faced an increasingly competitive electric vehicle (EV) sector.
The target of "Project Titan," beginning around 2014, was to develop a fully autonomous car, according to media reports.
The decision to shut down the car project was announced internally on Tuesday, Bloomberg and The New York Times reported, citing unnamed sources.
Apple had reportedly invested billions of dollars in the project.
The tech giant did not respond to AFP requests for comment.
Apple has never publicly disclosed its EV plans, despite a steady drip of media leaks over the years.
In 2022, the specialist site The Information published a report detailing the problems faced by the project, including the departure of multiple executives due to a lack of support from the leadership.
Several US automakers have hit the brakes on EVs in recent months as demand has slowed. Self-driving carmakers Cruise and Waymo -- which is owned by Google parent Alphabet -- have also struggled to expand their products beyond San Francisco.
Elon Musks Tesla, one of the EV industrys leaders, has also warned of slower growth in 2024. —AFP
