Transportation
Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche recently told German weekly Welt am Sonntag that technology companies Apple and Google have fared better with their automotive projects than he had every expected. Zetsche and his group of managers met around 70 companies in Silicon Valley.
"Our impression was that these companies can do more and know more than we had previously assumed. At the same time they have more respect for our achievements than we thought," Zetsche told the paper.
"There were concrete talks. I will not say anything about the content. It was not just about the fact that there is an innovative spirit in the Valley. We know that already. We wanted to see what drives it, and all the things that can be created from it," Zetsche said.
Mind, Google and Apple are hardly known for their vehicle design and manufacturing skills. However, they possess the innovation and moolah needed to build any production facility they might want to.
Now, Apple is mum about the research and testing it’s been doing. It’s been in the news recently that the Apple veteran spearheading the company’s self-driving efforts is leaving. Steve Zadesky, a 16 year Apple veteran was overseeing their electric car project for the last two years. The time and reason is yet unclear. The company hasn’t confirmed it’s working on such a car, but has hired several auto veterans to test its battery technology and autonomous driving project.
Google hasn’t hid it’s efforts however. It tested the prototype in 2012. You can spot one of those fancy Google
It’s safe to presume these companies will at some point in the future launch, or at least tell the world they’re working on automotive projects.
Several car and taxi companies like Tesla and Uber as well as Silicon Valley giants like Google and Apple are trying their hand at self-driving cars. Daimler's luxury brand Mercedes-Benz has already developed an S-Class limousine that drove 103 kilometers without any driver inputs.
Let’s see who’ll make an official launch first.
Image credit: Indiatimes