One of Apple's newly filed patents is shedding light on the development of its Project Titan electric car. The patent is about the EV's battery that appears to be securely tucked under the car's floor. Potentially, the upcoming electric car from Apple can challenge the Tesla Model X and Elon Musk's other vehicles.
According to Apple's patent filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the design of Apple's electric car speaks of durability. In addition, the filing also details the placement of the battery inside the vehicle.
In the patent, the battery is said to be encased with a lower and upper plate. This setup sandwiches the electric car's power supply strongly and is designed to protect the power supply if the vehicle were to get into an accident. In most situations, damage to the non-electric vehicle's fuel supply can make accidents more deadly.
According to the patent, the protective structure will be found under the car's floor, which is a similar choice to Tesla's vehicles. On the Tesla Model S for example, the battery is lined up on the chassis, which has another layer to cover it and serves as a protective case for the power supply under the floor. Despite having similar placements, Apple could have a better implementation of the battery case.
As of late, the Apple's Project Titan electric car is yet to have any solid release date outside of its expected 2020 completion. Meanwhile, Tesla is already making strides with the Model X, which has been chosen as the standard issue police car of the Victoria Police Department in Australia, according to Electrek.
By 2020, Tesla would have already released all of the first set of variants of the Model Y. These Model Y crossover SUVs would have its Long Range variants released by late 2019 and its Standard Battery variants released shortly after. More than Tesla, competition would also start rushing in as other car makers such as Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Byton are already producing their new EVs to be released soon.
Apple is known to push out patents like this every week. Since the company hasn't announced any major details about the Project Titan development yet, it needs to catch up soon so it does not get left behind in the competition.
This article was first published in IBTimes US. Permission required for reproduction.