Earlier this year, Apple canceled its decade-long Project Titan electric car initiative, but a new report from DigiTimes says that Apple’s electric vehicle ambitions might not be over. According to the story, Apple is “assessing the possibility of teaming up with a certain US EV startup, and Rivian is a very likely candidate.”
The report says that there is “speculation among supply chains” that Apple is investigating teaming up with an EV startup. DigiTimes suggests that Apple could take its 10 years of EV and autonomous driving research and team up with another company instead of making its own car.
While it’s “uncertain what form such a collaboration could take,” this report suggests that Rivian is the leading candidate, based on supply chain sources.
There are no other details provided in the DigiTimes report. It’s unclear what a partnership between Apple and Rivian would look like – or whether Rivian would even be interested in such an arrangement. Still, at least based on DigiTimes supply chain sources, it’s something Apple is “studying.”
9to5Mac’s Take
As much as I’d love to see a partnership between Apple and Rivian, I’m choosing not to get my hopes up about this one. The report is scarce on details, and sounds as if it’s based purely on speculation among Apple’s suppliers. I’d wait for something more concrete before getting too excited.
Perhaps most importantly, Apple could provide Rivian with some crucial cash as the company enters the challenging process of ramping up production of its new R2, R3, and R3X cars.
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