Apple Signals Interest in Self-Driving Software
December 04 2016 - 7:40PM
Dow Jones News
Apple Inc. confirmed for the first time its interest in
autonomous-vehicle technology, but it remains unlikely the company
will design or build a complete car.
In a Nov. 22 letter to U.S. transportation regulators, Steve
Kenner, Apple's director of product integrity, suggested Apple's
focus is on the software that would control a self-driving car. He
said the company is "investing heavily in machine learning and
automation" for many purposes "including transportation."
The letter, which came to light late Friday, marked Apple's
first public statements about its car effort, dubbed Project Titan,
after years of secrecy. Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said the
company provided comments to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration because of its investments in automation and machine
learning, a type of software. "We want to work with NHTSA to help
define the best practices for the industry," Mr. Neumayr said.
The emphasis on software is in line with reports over the past
year that Apple's car effort has shifted its attention from
building a car to designing an autonomous-driving system. Last
summer, Apple eliminated some positions on the project that were
focused on car development and added staff with software
backgrounds.
"You could interpret this as a sign that they're trying to
invest where they feel like they can still make a difference,
whereas building a car might be something they found really may not
be worth it to them," said Mike Ramsey, an analyst at Gartner
Inc.
Apple's letter was one of more than 1,100 submitted to NHTSA,
which is weighing new regulations for automated vehicles. Others
who submitted comments include traditional auto makers such as
General Motors Co. as well as Silicon Valley companies moving into
the field such as Google parent Alphabet Inc.
The letter revealed potential conflicts between Apple and
traditional car makers. Apple said it supports NHTSA's plan to
share data on accidents and near misses, in an effort to improve
the software that controls autonomous vehicles. Just as a human's
driving skills improve with more time on the road, those systems
get better as they process more data.
In its own comment to NHTSA, however, the Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers, which represents major companies like GM and Ford
Motor Co., questioned the feasibility of sharing data, saying it
was impractical, unreasonable and "unorthodox" to share information
among competitors.
Richard Wallace, a director at the Center for Automotive
Research in Ann Arbor, Mich., said that compared with traditional
auto makers, Apple had more "to gain than lose" from sharing data
because it is new to motor vehicles.
Apple called on Congress and NHTSA to amend rules that allow
traditional auto makers to perform controlled tests of automated
vehicles, while forcing new entrants like Apple to apply for an
exemption to do similar tests. Mr. Kenner said to "promote fair
competition, established manufacturers and new entrants should be
treated equally."
The letter also shows how Apple increasingly must deal with
government regulators, as it expands its scope from high-tech
consumer products to areas such as health care and
transportation.
Navigating that world won't be easy for Apple and other tech
companies that are used to rapid change, said Dave Sullivan, an
industry analyst at AutoPacific Inc. He said agencies like NHTSA
move slowly and took nearly a decade to approve rearview cameras
mandates.
"Imagine how long it could take to change some deeper items like
vehicle testing," Mr. Sullivan said.
The letter also showed Apple's autonomous-vehicle ambitions go
beyond the U.S. Mr. Kenner encouraged NHTSA to work with
international groups such as the United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe and others to develop a "harmonized approach to
automated vehicles."
Write to Tim Higgins at Tim.Higgins@WSJ.com and Tripp Mickle at
Tripp.Mickle@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 04, 2016 19:25 ET (00:25 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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