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Tim Cook: Apple is working on the “mother” of all AI for self-driving cars

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This story first appeared on NextMobility.co

Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed to Bloomberg News that the Cupertino-based technology giant is interested in entering the race for self-driving cars. Cook has previously been very quiet on Apple’s exploration into vehicle technology, but recently revealed his plans for the company to add focus to autonomous vehicles.

Apple initially began development of an electric vehicle in 2014, but shuttered the program after reportedly realizing how difficult it would be to scale manufacturing of cars.

Apple Director Steve Kenner wrote a letter to the NHTSA last December, revealing the company’s interest in autonomous vehicle technology. Kenner stated in the letter, “The company (Apple) is investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation.” Cook’s recent remarks expand on Kenner’s letter to NHTSA by adding that the company is working on the “mother of all AI projects.”

Apple’s Self-Driving technology has been caught on testing on the roads recently

“We are focusing on autonomous systems. Clearly, one purpose of autonomous systems is self-driving cars; there are others. We sort of see it as the mother of all AI projects. It is probably the most difficult AI projects.” – Apple CEO Tim Cook

Cook also made a remark saying that automotive industry is “ripe for disruption” through the electrification of vehicles. “There is a major disruption looming there. Not only for self-driving cars, but also for the electrification piece… Plus you have ridesharing on top of this. So you have three vectors of change all happening in the same timeframe.” Cook said in an interview with Bloomberg last week.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously said that Tesla is working on “advanced narrow AI,” to power their self-driving technology. While Apple is concentrating on self-driving technology, Tesla has been focusing on the complete vertical with plans to launch a self-driving rideshare fleet in the next few years.

Just like how Apple disrupted the smartphone industry with the iPhone, the company isn’t looking to be the first with self-driving technology, but rather the best.

 

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Christian Prenzler is currently the VP of Business Development at Teslarati, leading strategic partnerships, content development, email newsletters, and subscription programs. Additionally, Christian thoroughly enjoys investigating pivotal moments in the emerging mobility sector and sharing these stories with Teslarati's readers. He has been closely following and writing on Tesla and disruptive technology for over seven years. You can contact Christian here: christian@teslarati.com

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Tesla exec hints at useful and potentially killer Model Y L feature

The Model Y L could become the company’s vehicle that offers the best balance between utility and comfort.

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Credit: Tesla China

A Tesla executive from China has hinted at what could very well be a killer feature for the upcoming Model Y L. If speculations prove accurate, the Model Y L could become the company’s vehicle that offers the best balance between utility and comfort, possibly even exceeding what is offered by Tesla’s flagship vehicles.

Model Y L teaser

The Tesla Model Y L is expected to be a six-seat version of the best-selling all-electric crossover. With its six seats, the new Model Y L would be able to provide ample leg room to third-row passengers—something that the seven-seat Model Ys produced in the United States were unable to do.

With six seats, the Model Y L would be closer in size and more similar to the larger and much more expensive Model X, which remains Tesla’s de facto family hauler. The six-seat Model X, however, has one flaw that makes it a bit less useful than its seven-seat variant–its second row seats don’t fold fully flat.

Second row magic

In a post on Weibo, Tesla Vice President for China Grace Tao described the upcoming Model Y L as a “full-scene 6-seat luxury SUV.” This description, particularly the executive’s “full-scene” description, is notable, with Tesla China watchers such as @zhongwen2005 stating that “full-scene” typically means that all seats can be folded flat.

If Tesla is able to design the Model Y L’s second row seats to fold flat, it would provide the extended wheelbase vehicle with a lot more utility than typical six-seaters, including the six-seat Model X. And considering that the Model Y L will likely be priced just above the standard Model Y, its price would likely be extremely competitive, even in challenging markets such as China. 

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“Worthy of respect:” Six-seat Model Y L acknowledged by Tesla China’s biggest rivals

Tesla China’s biggest competitors seem to be welcoming the impending arrival of the upcoming six-seater.

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Credit: Tesla Asia/X

Tesla’s upcoming launch of the Model Y L in China has drawn praise from the CEOs of rival automakers Nio and Li Auto. While the upcoming extended all-electric crossover has the potential to make a huge impact in the domestic Chinese auto market, some of Tesla China’s biggest competitors seem to be welcoming the impending arrival of the upcoming six-seater.

NIO and Li Auto CEO react

Nio founder, chairman, and CEO William Li responded to Tesla’s announcement on Weibo, stating that with improvements in charging, battery swap infrastructure, and continued innovation in technology and product design, the era of large-space electrified SUVs has fully arrived. He referenced Nio’s sub-brand Onvo and its new L90 SUV as a product born from this shift in the market and encouraged the industry to “power up together,” as noted in a report from CNEV Post.

Li Auto CEO Li Xiang also weighed in, calling the Model Y L a “six-seat pure electric SUV worthy of respect.” He also suggested that consumers interested in vehicles priced between RMB 200,000 and RMB 300,000 should keep an eye on it. He also mentioned his company’s upcoming Li i6, a five-seat all-electric SUV that’s expected to debut in September, as a strong option for buyers not seeking third row seats.

New Model Y L

Tesla confirmed on its official Weibo account that the Model Y L will officially launch in China this fall. The vehicle appeared in China’s MIIT regulatory catalog, which revealed that the Model Y L will feature a longer body and extended wheelbase designed to accommodate its new three-row layout. 

The Model Y L measures 4,976 mm in length with a wheelbase of 3,040 mm, compared to the standard five-seat Model Y’s 4,797 mm length and 2,890 mm wheelbase. While Tesla has yet to announce official pricing, industry reports suggest it could be positioned around RMB 400,000. It remains to be seen if the Model Y L will also be produced in the United States and Germany. 

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Elon Musk reveals SpaceX’s target for Starship’s 10th launch

Elon Musk has revealed SpaceX’s target timeline for the next Starship launch, which will be the tenth in program history.

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Credit: SpaceX

Elon Musk has revealed SpaceX’s target timeline for the next Starship launch, which will be the tenth in program history.

Musk says SpaceX is aiming for a timeline of roughly three weeks from now, which would come about ten weeks after the previous launch.

Coincidentally, it would bring the two launches 69 days apart, and if you know anything about Elon Musk, that would be an ideal timeline between two launches.

SpaceX is coming off a test flight in which it lost both the Super Heavy Booster and the Upper Stage in the previous launch. The Super Heavy Booster was lost six minutes and sixteen seconds into the flight, while SpaceX lost communication with the Ship at 46 minutes and 48 seconds.

Musk is aiming for the tenth test flight to take place in early August, he revealed on X:

This will be SpaceX’s fourth test flight of the Starship program in 2025, with each of the previous three flights bringing varying results.

IFT-7 in January brought SpaceX its second successful catch of the Super Heavy Booster in the chopstick arms of the launch tower. The ship was lost after exploding during its ascent over the Turks and Caicos Islands.

IFT-8 was on March 6, and SpaceX caught the booster once again, but the Upper Stage was once again lost.

The most recent flight, IFT-9, took place on May 27 and featured the first reused Super Heavy Booster. However, both the Booster and Upper Stage were lost.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hit SpaceX with a mishap investigation for Flight 9 on May 30.

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