Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Apple is reportedly considering teaming up with BMW to build an electric car.

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
When Apple licences access to Tesla's sc network it will be a huge deal (very good for Tesla and for Apple). Apple will sell a ton of cars, because Apple could sell sand in the desert, and i just don't see them trying to build a competing charging network. Tesla can use the cash infusion to build out the network at record speeds.
Apple has never tried to play with others - why would they suddenly do it now? This would be like Apple using AT&T stores instead of building their own. Not going to happen.
 
What is being missed in this discussion is that - Apple is probably interested in CF rather than i3 per se.

How would you like to buy a Model 3 type car - but one with CF ?

That would be cool but BMW does not manufacture CF nor do they make cars out of CF but with CFRP.

Slightly lighter and a bit more expensive than aluminum. Probably more expensive to the end consumer if you are an automaker buying the CFRP from BMW. CFRP is not a slam dunk on a cost basis. BMW is working to lower cost but Alcoa is also working on lowering the cost of automotive grade aluminum sheets. And the steel industry is not standing still with regard to performance and price of high strength steels.


Apple certainly has the money to create a much bigger "supercharger" network than Tesla.

So does Google,Toyota,GM, VW,Ford,Mercedes, Nissan, Honda, BMW and Hyundai.
 
That would be cool but BMW does not manufacture CF nor do they make cars out of CF but with CFRP.

Slightly lighter and a bit more expensive than aluminum. Probably more expensive to the end consumer if you are an automaker buying the CFRP from BMW. CFRP is not a slam dunk on a cost basis. BMW is working to lower cost but Alcoa is also working on lowering the cost of automotive grade aluminum sheets.

Yes. Like Tesla is trying to get the cost of batteries down. There are similarities here. Both are trying to develop a new process that is more expensive right now but has big potential to be more cost effective later and has many advantages.

But even today CFRP has some positive side effects. It is lighter than steel and aluminum which means you need less batteries to run the car. So the reduced weight lowers your cost on the most expensive part: the battery. Which again lowers your overall weight. So there good reasons to spend a little more on a material that overall will lower the cost in other areas. And in the long run, the cost of manufacturing CFRP will come down significantly.
 
And the bicycle tires.


I just felt the need to illustrate my comment.....look at those tires:

BMW-i3-cutaway.jpg
 
Absolutely nothing wrong with Apple maps for me. The non-apple device owners won't let the early issues die.

I'm an iOS guy - have iPhone and iPad. First time I tried using it for navigation after the "upgrade", it led me to a spot 15 minutes from my destination. The second time it tried to take me to France. Car would have got very wet. Third time, well I downloaded the then-new Google Maps app and never looked back.

It may work better now, but why would I risk it when Google has been so reliable? They had their chance and blew it. So I will still mock.
 
I'm an iOS guy - have iPhone and iPad. First time I tried using it for navigation after the "upgrade", it led me to a spot 15 minutes from my destination. The second time it tried to take me to France. Car would have got very wet. Third time, well I downloaded the then-new Google Maps app and never looked back.

It may work better now, but why would I risk it when Google has been so reliable? They had their chance and blew it. So I will still mock.

Fair enough. Apple maps actually has had better traffic coverage than Google in my area. Google traffic has historically stopped at Barrie although that may have changed. So I'm sticking with Apple.
 
Last edited:
Fair enough. Apple maps actually has had better traffic coverage than Google in my area. Google traffic has historically stopped at Barrie although that may have changed. So I'm sticking with Apple.

I've noticed that too on my trips to Muskoka, but I think I've seen it creep up further north lately. Maybe they need to "see" a certain volume before they post it to the maps. Wonder how and where Apple gets its traffic data from??? I thought Google got it mainly from people using their apps, and would have to think Apple has far fewer Map users. I've tried Waze a few times on trips north and it's all but useless. Often I am the only guy for miles around.
 
More on this story (dated tomorrow):
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/07/31/uk-apple-bmw-courtship-insight-idINKCN0Q52CY20150731

It looks like Apple and BMW were seriously considering working together but then Apple cooled and wanted to explore building their own car. Now it looks like Apple is back talking to BMW about using the i3 as a basis for the Apple car.

I still don't see what's in it for BMW. I doubt they will just roll over and let Apple dictate the car design and end up a contract manufacturer but I don't see control freak Apple giving BMW much say in the car. I personally hope they come out with a great car but they will need to improve range and performance as well as fix the profound ugliness of the i3.
 
Perhaps to help the car stick to the road?

In fairness, the i3 is very lightweight, so wide tires aren't needed but they just look silly. Maybe in the future, wide tires will look funny, but not right now.

The i3's tires are indeed quite advanced:
Bridgestone's ologic technology was voted "Tire Technology of the Year" in the Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence in 2014. It combines a large diameter tire with a narrow tread pattern to conserve energy that is otherwise lost through the tire's internal friction or the vehicle's aerodynamic resistance. While the tread of smaller diameter tires experience a higher percentage of deflection as they roll, the tread of larger diameter tires can feature higher belt tension and experience a lower percentage of deflection that significantly reduces tire deformation and rolling resistance. The narrow tread also improves tire and vehicle aerodynamics that reduce drag.
source: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...Year=2014&autoModel=i3&autoModClar=Giga World

I've never experienced any issues "sticking to the road" with the i3 all season tires, even in Boston winter. Do they "look funny"? Perhaps, but so do the full whitewall tires from the 1930's. Technology and tastes change. Don't diss them just because they look different from what else is out there. As adding lightness becomes the norm, and efficiency becomes paramount, tires like the i3's will become more common.