The newest Apple device is already a vision on the horizon, only rather than following their running trend of ever-smaller, ever-slimmer designs, this time the trillion-dollar company opted to go big – with the all-new Apple electric car.
Though Apple has kept the project well under wraps so far, exciting rumors are already spreading. The vehicle, intended for a 2024 or later release, might include entirely self-driving technology and aims to be on par with Tesla and other EVs [5]. The car is expected to feature deep integration with Apple’s existing iOS technology [1] making the latest iPhone a necessity for any potential buyers of the vehicle. As Apple continues to emerge as one of the most valuable companies in the world, their first venture into the automotive industry has the potential to take over the EV market.
At the moment, owning an electric vehicle can be more of an inconvenience than an asset. Though many metropolitan areas have introduced recharging stations, and it is possible to set up a charging station right at home, the infrastructure to support these vehicles pales in comparison to that of gasoline. However, the future looks promising, as the world begins to truly recognize climate change as a prominent issue and furthers the global transition to more sustainable methods of travel. The Ontario provincial government, for example, offers up to a $5000 incentive for the purchase of certain electric vehicles [3].
In addition, in the long run, owning a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) can be much cheaper than the alternatives. If, on average, electricity costs $0.13 per kilowatt hour (kWh - the amount of electricity used in a in an hour), and a BEV consumes 33 kWh to travel 100 miles, the cost per mile is about $0.04. Since a BEV can run 200 miles with one charge, with 80% efficiency, it costs around $9 to recharge a Lithium Battery BEV. Compared to gasoline-powered vehicles, which have an efficiency of 20 to 30 percent and usually cost $50 minimum to refuel, owning a BEV starts to look much more desirable [2].
References
[1] “Apple Car: It's No Secret, Apple's Actively Working on Car Tech.” MacRumors, 8 Mar. 2021, www.macrumors.com/roundup/apple-car/.
[2] “Comparing the Battery with Other Power Sources.” Comparing the Battery with Other Power Sources – Battery University, https://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/learn/article/comparing_the_battery_with_other_power_sources
[3] Government of Canada, Canada Energy Regulator. “Canada Energy Regulator / Régie De L'énergie Du Canada.” CER, Canada Energy Regulator / Régie De L'énergie Du Canada, 29 Jan. 2021, www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-markets/market-snapshots/2018/market-snapshot-how-much-co2-do-electric-vehicles-hybrids-gasoline-vehicles-emit.html
[4] lling, Bjoern, and Oliver Warweg. “Analysis of International Approaches to Integrate Electric Vehicles into the Energy Market.” 2015 12th International Conference on the European Energy Market (EEM), 2015, doi:10.1109/eem.2015.7216656.
[5] Wesley Hilliard “Apple Car: Release Dates, Features, Specs, Rumors.” AppleInsider, 3 Mar. 2021, appleinsider.com/inside/apple-car.
