Up until 2010 or so, people didn't even want to believe that electric cars would one day be used. Tesla was just a strange rumor easily brushed aside and the hydrogen-fueled Mirai that Toyota just put on sale would have seemed farfetched. So 5 or 10 years from now, we really could be driving cars made by Apple, even though the idea seems far fetched at the moment.
What would that future look like. Well, we might as well check out the renderings created by the guys at Car Wow, who envisioned a simple, streamlined vehicle with clear influences drawn from the BMW i8 and Tesla Model S.
Apple have worked hard to keep the iCar a secret, but the fact that they poached battery experts from A123 Systems and are currently testing a minivan around California says a lot.
As far as performance and packaging is concerned, we don't have a lot to go on at the moment. But the people who made these renderings said their visionary machine has an output of 250 hp and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft), so about as much as a BMW 328i. Tesla's Model S would run rings around it, especially the P85D, but the electric car market is not a sprinting competition.
Despite the fact that we love these renderings, the iCar might look more like an airplane or a bus. The head of design at Apple is a huge fan of the classic Fiat 500 and if he has his way, the 4-wheeled equivalent of the Mac might take a very strange form.
Reports suggest the company spent a large sum of money importing a mint condition 1957 Fiat 600 Multipla from Italy to America. Supposedly, it's there just for inspiration, but with no need for a big engine up front, a single-box design is perfect for the electric car of the future because it makes excellent use of space.
Apple have worked hard to keep the iCar a secret, but the fact that they poached battery experts from A123 Systems and are currently testing a minivan around California says a lot.
As far as performance and packaging is concerned, we don't have a lot to go on at the moment. But the people who made these renderings said their visionary machine has an output of 250 hp and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft), so about as much as a BMW 328i. Tesla's Model S would run rings around it, especially the P85D, but the electric car market is not a sprinting competition.
Despite the fact that we love these renderings, the iCar might look more like an airplane or a bus. The head of design at Apple is a huge fan of the classic Fiat 500 and if he has his way, the 4-wheeled equivalent of the Mac might take a very strange form.
Reports suggest the company spent a large sum of money importing a mint condition 1957 Fiat 600 Multipla from Italy to America. Supposedly, it's there just for inspiration, but with no need for a big engine up front, a single-box design is perfect for the electric car of the future because it makes excellent use of space.