No further details were skimmed from the documents although one would assume that if Apple is already seeking a proving ground, its autonomous electric vehicle project – codenamed Project Titan – must be much further along than most thought.
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The Guardian says it obtained communications between an Apple engineer Frank Fearon and GoMentum Station.
GoMentum Station’s empty roads feature everything from highway overpasses and railway crossings to tunnels and cattle grids, which would enable Apple to test vehicles in a variety of realistic everyday situations but without exposing it to scrutiny. The company has also not divulged what type of testing it wants to conduct at the GoMentum Station testing facility.
Apple has tasked employees in “an anonymous office building” in Sunnyvale, Calif., about four miles from the company’s Cupertino headquarters, with developing automotive technologies, The Guardian said.
The Guardian noted that Apple’s self-driving vehicle is apparently nearly ready for the road. Apple however declined to comment. The Guardian’s report notes that the facility is guarded by the military and Honda has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to begin testing there. The facility is run by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority and marketed as GoMentum Station. In recent months Apple CEO Tim Cook has had meetings with vehicle manufacturers, and the company has been poaching engineers with expertise in automotive.
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“To set an agenda, we are hopping (sic) to see a presentation on the Concord testing grounds with a layout, photos, and a description of how the various areas of the grounds could be used”, Fearon wrote. It is also not clear if Apple is working on a self-driving auto, like those being developed by Google and Uber, or a technology-filled, potentially electric vehicle, like Tesla. According to TIME, however, “Apple’s interest in a testing facility doesn’t necessarily signal it has anything to actually test just yet – it may simply be looking to secure a facility for the future”.
