Apple's plans to develop an electric and driverless car featuring its own battery technology are reportedly back on the table, with a new target production date estimated for 2024.
"People familiar with the matter" told Reuters that Apple is progressing with its autonomous car technology ? known as Project Titan ? and is planning to produce a passenger vehicle in four years' time.
The mass-market car could include Apple's own battery design that would aim to "radically" reduce the cost of batteries and increase the vehicle's range.
Apple to develop own "next level" EV battery
These improved specifications would be possible with the use of "mono-cell" batteries, which use larger cells to allow for more compact battery packs that are capable of delivering longer range than conventional multi-cell batteries. Apple is also reportedly testing a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry for the battery as an alternative to the lithium-ion rechargeable battery typically used in electric cars, as it is less likely to overheat and would be safer.
Reuter's sources compare the upcoming technology to the release of the first iPhone in 2007.
"It's next level," said the source about Apple's battery technology. "Like the first time you saw the iPhone."

The automotive developments, known as Project Titan, begun in 2014 and have advanced in a stop-and-start manner since then.
In December 2016, Apple acknowledged for the first time th...