Earlier today we posted a report titled "Speculative Report claims Apple Car is on a Fast Track for 2021, a week after Amazon hyped up their Autonomous Hail-Ride Taxi." This afternoon, Reuters presented a more realistic view of Apple Car being targeted for 2024 as Apple focuses on next-gen battery technology.

Apple's automotive efforts have progressed enough that it now aims to build a vehicle for consumers, two people familiar with the effort said, asking not to be named because Apple’s plans are not public.

Apple’s goal of building a personal vehicle for the mass market contrasts with rivals such as Alphabet Inc’s Waymo and Amazon's Zoox which are each focused robo-taxis to carry passengers for a driverless ride-hailing service.

Central to Apple’s strategy is a new battery design that could "radically" reduce the cost of batteries and increase the vehicle’s range, according to a source who has reportedly seen Apple’s battery design.

Apple plans to use a unique "monocell" design that bulks up the individual cells in the battery and frees up space inside the battery pack by eliminating pouches and modules that hold battery materials, one of the people said.

Apple’s design means that more active material can be packed inside the battery, giving the car a potentially longer range. Apple is also examining a chemistry for the battery called LFP, or lithium iron phosphate, the person said, which is inherently less likely to overheat and is thus safer than other types of lithium-ion batteries.

The source considered Apple's battery technology "next level, Like the first time you saw the iPhone." Apple fans would expect nothing less. For more, read the full Reuters report.

It's a little too early to get overly excited about one aspect of the future Apple Car considering that the U.S. Patent Office reveals new aspects of Apple's Project Titan on a consistent basis. Almost every week Patently Apple covers the latest Apple patents on various aspects of future vehicles that go far beyond just an innovative battery. That's not to downplay the importance of a radical battery design because such a breakthrough could be a premium selling point for future electric vehicles. 

Project Titan covers the reinvention of vehicles from next-gen window systems, to hidden controls to holographic head-up-displays to next-gen LiDAR systems (+02) and so much more. If this subject matter interests you, then be sure to explore our "Project Titan" archives.