New Evidence About Apple’s Rumored Self-Driving Car Development

After many months of substantial rumors and speculation about Apple’s secretive development of a self-driving car, commonly known as “Project Titan,” new evidence shows that Apple is seeking a space to test cars in the San Francisco area.

According to The Guardian, records have been reviewed that show Apple engineers messaging with officials from an automotive testing facility, inquiring about “timing and availability for the space.” The facility, GoMentum Stadium, was previously a naval base and is now being used a testing place for new technologies out of public view, including autonomous cars.

The base includes approximately 20 miles of paved highways and streets, and it is guarded by the military to keep the public away. It is the largest secure testing facility of its kind, and is used for “testing validation and commercialization of connected vehicle (CV) applications and autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies to define the next generation of transportation network infrastructure,” according to officials. The space has already been used by Honda and Mercedes-Benz to test autonomous vehicles.

Reportedly, Frank Fearon, an Apple engineer, wrote an email to GoMentum saying that “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].” In another email, an official from GoMentum delayed a tour of the base, but wrote, “We would still like to meet in order to keep everything moving and to meet your testing schedule.”

There has been a massive amount of speculation about Apple’s secretive car developments, and this latest report from The Guardian may be the most concrete evidence to date. However, the reports that initially broke the news didn’t publish any emails themselves, and it’s not clear whether or not Apple actually stated that it is testing a car in the facility. Although the information certainly appears to point in the direction of a car, it is conceivable that the company is using the space to test other products. And even if Apple is preparing to test a car in GoMentum Stadium that doesn’t necessarily mean that the company will be releasing a car to the public anytime soon.

According to many different reports, Apple’s Project Titan program includes hundreds of engineers who are working on developing the vehicle. Sources have indicated that Apple has hired people from many different sectors within the auto industry, including in battery technology. The company was even sued by A123 Systems in February for allegedly poaching its employees, with accusations that Apple lured employees away from A123 to develop a large battery that would directly compete with A123’s products.

Still, Apple is notoriously secretive, and The Guardian’s report is an exciting development in the ongoing speculation and growing interest in finding out what the company is actually planning for its foray into the world of futuristic automobiles. Based on Apple’s history, we can imagine that the company is going to make major waves when it finally tells the public about its plans. However, when that day will come remains anyone’s guess.