Apple's project “Titan” BEV

[LTLFTcomposite]

Add on another $20k for the unions and other payoffs.

Dan Akerson has cautioned them against it.

 

[tkdbrusco]

My guess is that they are taking more of a Google X approach to things and realizing that the amount of cash they are sitting on is not going to good use. They are probably looking into a lot of spaces that are ripe for disruption and don't have a single problem throwing 200 million at each one just to see if where it goes. The electric car probably makes some sense to them in that they already play a significant role in Lithium Ion battery use (perhaps they've had some breakthrough?) and are also looking into car interface systems as well.

 

[rexki]

Add on another $20k for the unions and other payoffs.

Dan Akerson has cautioned them against it.

Apple does not deal with Unions - only 49% / 51% Chinese Government joint ventures!!

Apple does not manufacture anything - period and likely never will - period - they get others to take care of the dirty work at cost below production cost!! They make Walmart look like the Church Lady!!

"Now isn't that special" - insert Dana Carvey's voice over here.

More the reason to go for it - Don't forget he (Dan above) was at the helm when they (GM Execs/legal) knew the lady did prison time in error for her husbands "murder" which was a keychain accident!! Were are my plastic key-chain inserts!?

 

[eloder]

We are now at $21,100 wholesale - put in the 40% margin - Sell it for $35,000

At that price they would control the world!!!

Sell 10,000,000 units/year and gross $350 billion and gross margin of $139 billion. Lets hope Elon Musk can keep up with battery demand!!

40% margin?

This is Apple. That's going to be at least 100% margin

 

[kubel]

http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/19/8068625/apple-electric-car-battery-plans-lawsuit" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[EVDRIVER]

http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/19/8068625/apple-electric-car-battery-plans-lawsuit

Is it illegal to hire people? Good luck suing Apple, that would run A123 into the ground. If the use Siri then any vehicle will never get you where you want to go.

 

[evnow]

Is it illegal to hire people? Good luck suing Apple, that would run A123 into the ground. If the use Siri then any vehicle will never get you where you want to go.

People / small companies regularly sue big companies without getting bankrupt.

Here is what is illegal. Ofcourse Apple can say the employees never told them about the non-compete and NDA - and get off the hook - leaving the employees to face the music.

The company adds that all five individuals were working under contracts with noncompete and nondisclosure obligations, and that their departure has forced to A123 to shut down the projects they were responsible for because of the lack of similar talent.

But this case lends more credibility to the iEV rumor. You don't need battery experts for iPlay.

 

[evnow]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-19/apple-said-to-be-targeting-car-production-as-soon-as-2020" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Apple Wants to Start Producing Cars as Soon as 2020

Apple’s possible foray into cars follows a similar path it’s taken to break into other industries. The company wasn’t the first to make a digital-music player or smartphone, and only entered those markets once it had a product that redefined those categories.

 

[DeeAgeaux]

Add on another $20k for the unions and other payoffs.

Dan Akerson has cautioned them against it.

Apple does not deal with Unions - only 49% / 51% Chinese Government joint ventures!!

Apple does not manufacture anything - period and likely never will - period - they get others to take care of the dirty work at cost below production cost!!

There is a reason automakers don't export out of China.

The cost of shipping as the percentage of the products value is way too high for a car vs electronics.

Mass market cars require you build where you sell.

In the industrialized countries no one will pay Apple premiums for a Chinese made car. They will want discounts.

A smart phone does not have the potential to kill you.

A maybe Foxconn will get into the contract manufacture business but it practically does not exist in North America and Europe.

Apple has talked to Magna Steyr which has a total capacity of 200k units most of which is already spoken for.

Valmet of Finland that made the Fisker Karma has a one shift capacity of 30k units and 100k if working factory 24/7.

Subaru has done some contract manufacturing for Toyota but now needs all the capacity it can get.

Maybe Mitsubishi's Illinois plant? Not much volume either.

Apple Choices for mass production of vehicles maybe Foxconn(poor choice) or doing it themselves.

 

[DeeAgeaux]

They've been poaching Tesla employees like Tesla is going out of buisness.

And since that's how Musk got SpaceX going (at the expense of the company I work for), I'm glad to see karma finally stating to kick him in the arse.

Tesla has poached 3 Apple Employees for every former Tesla employee poached by Apple.

Apple hired a lot of former Tesla interns.

Tesla has hired some very high profile Apple employees.

Including Kristin "the Hacker Princess" Paget. Probably the top software security developer in the field.

Tesla hired Doug Field Vice President of Mac Hardware Engineering at Apple to lead Vehicle Programs at Tesla. Doug led the development of many new products at Apple including the latest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac. Doug began his career as an engineer at Ford Motor Company then became Chief Technology Officer at Segway.

And the list goes on and on.

 

[hill]

They've been poaching Tesla employees like Tesla is going out of buisness.

And since that's how Musk got SpaceX going (at the expense of the company I work for), I'm glad to see karma finally stating to kick him in the arse.

Not that you're bitter though, right?

If they are hiring a 1,000 people - it is possible they are looking at building a car. They may do it completely differently than Tesla - may be use the Coda model - but in a better way.....snip.....

What could NOT be better than an EV system dropped into a 1980's style Corolla ....

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

2020 iVan, should fit right into my current 3 year lease cycles.

Might get that eNV200 here quicker too.

Love it.

 

[DesertSprings]

The company adds that all five individuals were working under contracts with noncompete and nondisclosure obligations, and that their departure has forced to A123 to shut down the projects they were responsible for because of the lack of similar talent.

But this case lends more credibility to the iEV rumor. You don't need battery experts for iPlay.

Non-competes aren't legally enforceable in California, unless you were one of the owners in the company and the company is getting dissolved. So as long as Apple is based in California (which I'm pretty sure they are), A123 can't enforce the non-compete.

http://online.ceb.com/CalCases/C4/44C4t937.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://online.ceb.com/calcases/CA4/61CA4t881.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

best statement I have heard about this project:

"The new Apple car must be a collaboration of some sort. I can't see how it's going to work without windows."

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

There's some speculation that Apple may not sell EVs, but rather a transportation service based on autonomous drive, but it's hard to see that being viable by 2020.

 

[Deleted member 14724]

There's some speculation that Apple may not sell EVs, but rather a transportation service based on autonomous drive, but it's hard to see that being viable by 2020.

I doubt if they would make serious plans to actually build a car based on autonomy, considering the uncertainty of the legislative environment. But doing some investigation and testing to have something ready to sell to existing manufacturers might be worthwhile.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Probably not in the US, but I think the UK has already passed testing approval. Autonomous taxis in London might work.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

With 3/4 of a trillion dollars at your disposal not only can you afford to recruit whatever talent you need to make it happen, you can also buy however many politicians are required to permit it to happen.

 

[evnow]

Non-competes aren't legally enforceable in California, unless you were one of the owners in the company and the company is getting dissolved. So as long as Apple is based in California (which I'm pretty sure they are), A123 can't enforce the non-compete.

http://online.ceb.com/CalCases/C4/44C4t937.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://online.ceb.com/calcases/CA4/61CA4t881.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting - but A123 will fight this in MA, not CA. Afterall Apple would be a registered business in MA as well because of the stores.

Usually these kinds of cases get settled out of court, anyway. Apple I'm sure doesn't want to get into the details of exactly what those people it hired are doing in Apple.

Update : Some Amazon cases against Google in Seattle have worked to an extent.

http://www.geekwire.com/2014/amazon-sues-employee-taking-google-cloud-job-new-test-non-compete-laws/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[edatoakrun]

See the graphic comparing it to the Pentagon...

The world’s largest Apple product is taking shape in Cupertino.

Apple is just one of several huge tech companies in the Bay Area building corporate campuses this year. But its project is perhaps the most secretive.

So when I asked for a tour, I didn’t expect to get one. Other reporters told me the company rarely talks to the press.

But Apple’s press team seemed to like the idea of talking about the green innovations in their new building...

Known as “the spaceship” – or, if you prefer, the “donut” – the building will be a glass and concrete ring, a mile in circumference, surrounded by trees and rolling hills. Much of the new building will be sculpted from the remains of the former Hewlett Packard campus that used to be on site. Fifteen thousand people will work here...

Currently, 70 percent of Apple’s employees commute by car, alone, says Whisenhunt.

“This isn’t an office building,” Jackson says. “This is an R&D facility. Think of a national lab. Think of NASA. That’s the level of work that’s happening here.”

The new campus is expected to open in late 2016.

http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/a-visit-to-apples-secret-new-headquarters/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;