Apple Inc. Rumored Self-Driving Car Project Is Underway: Report

There may be more to Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) self-driving car project, code-named “Project Titan,” than just rumor. According to British newspaper, The Guardian, the company is scouting for secure locations near San Francisco in a bid to test out its self-driving car.



The newspaper came across correspondence documents between Apple’s engineer Frank Fearon and officials at car testing facility GoMentum Station, which is a former naval base facility east of San Francisco with approximately 20 miles of paved highways and city streets.

The facility is overseen by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA), and is heavily guarded by military personnel and closed for public. It is specifically used to test self-driving cars. Officials claim it is the “largest secure test facility in the world, for testing, validation and commercialization of connected vehicle (CV) applications and autonomous vehicles (AV) technologies to define the next generation of transportation network infrastructure.” Car manufacturers like Honda and Mercedes-Benz have already carried out tests of driver-less cars at this facility.

Mr. Fearon is said to have corresponded with officials at GoMentum Station, saying: “We would ... like to get an understanding of timing and availability for the space, and how we would need to coordinate around other parties who would be using [it].”

This note was sent in May, indicating that Apple wishes to keep its project under the covers. For now, we do not know much about Project Titan; however, this news coincides with the company’s recent hiring of automobile industry experts within its ranks.

More letters from Mr. Fearon read: “We are hoping to see a presentation on the ... testing grounds with a layout, photos, and a description of how the various areas of the grounds could be used.”


This provides readers with some evidence that Apple plans to make inroads into the car industry with its very own car, but none of the letters clearly mentions this. The project itself is yet to be confirmed by Apple.

Apple’s rumored self-driving car is expected around the year 2020; however, it’s possible that the project may be scrapped if the desired test results are not achieved.