Apple team has until the end of 2017 to investigate the feasibility of autonomous driving

Bloomberg reports citing sources that the Apple autonomous driving team has until the end of 2017 to investigate the feasibility of the technique. In recent months, Apple is said to have put hundreds of members of the team on other projects.

The sources told Bloomberg that Apple has sharply scaled back its automotive plans and that building its own car is no longer part of that. As a result, the company would have given the team just over a year to explore the feasibility of self-driving systems and define a definitive approach. Current plans consist of developing an autonomous driving system that will allow collaboration with existing car manufacturers. The possibility of eventually designing one’s own vehicle is also not yet off the table, according to the sources.

The New York Times previously reported that Project Titan, as the project is known internally, is in difficult waters. For example, Apple is said to have fired dozens of members of the team in September after it appointed veteran Bob Mansfield to lead the project. This happened after the departure of the previous project head, Steve Zadesky, for personal reasons. According to Bloomberg sources, at its peak, 1,000 people were involved in Project Titan. Hundreds of these have since been relocated within Apple, and others have left of their own accord in recent months.

The changes in Apple’s plans are said to stem from leadership changes, supply chain issues and disagreements over strategy. Project Titan, which began in 2014, is said to have suffered from internal frictions since late last year.