Apple's Self-driving Car in the Works

Documents from The Guardian has confirmed that the development of Apple's rumored self-driving electric car, with the code name "Project Titan," is currently ongoing, and the tech giant is scouting for secure testing sites within the San Francisco Bay area.

The news outlet reports that in May, Apple met with officials from GoMentum Station in Concord, California. According to GoMentum Station's website, the property, which is a former Navy weapons station, is the world's "largest secure test facility," sprawling over a 5,000-acre land with 20 miles of paved roadway. The Guardian notes that the facility, which is currently run by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA), is being developed into a "high-security testing ground for autonomous vehicles."

The documents, acquired by The Guardian via a public records act request, showed Frank Fearon, an engineer from Apple, messaging with officials from 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].”

Both officials from Apple and GoMentum decline to comment on the report.

The Guardian further notes that GoMentum Station is an ideal testing site for Apple because of its security, where it could test its product outside public view. The tech company is allegedly working in secrecy with engineers in an anonymous office building in Sunnyvale. There, the company is developing automotive technologies; however, details of the project is still unknown.

Apple has long been rumored to device a self-driving car, and, according to a report from USA Today, this is "a big leap beyond making smartphones and computers." Adding more fuel to the story is Apple's move in hiring employees, many of which from Elon Musk's electric company, who have experience in auto safety and powertrain systems.

Also, February this year, Claycord News & Talk reported a "mystery van" driving around Claycord, which is similar to Google's self-driving vehicle only without the company's name. Wired noted that the unnamed minivan's license plate was registered to Apple, which heightened the speculation that the said vehicle could be a prototype for the company's self-driving car.

Unlike Apple's "secret project," Google has publicly expressed its effort to create autonomous cars. The company has been testing its different prototypes in its headquarters in Mountain View. Another company, Uber, has also been rumored to create a self-driving vehicle. The company has been reported to hire robotics engineers from Carnegie Mellon University, USA Today reports.