- Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is "pushing its team to begin production of an electric vehicle as early as 2020," Bloomberg reports. The WSJ and Reuters recently reported an EV project is underway, but didn't provide a timetable.
- Bloomberg adds Apple's car team now has ~200 people, after "ramping up hiring within the past couple of months as the company sought out experts in technologies for batteries and robotics." EV battery maker A123 Systems just sued Apple for allegedly poaching senior engineers for a battery project, while stating it also believes Apple has tried to hire battery experts from LG Chem, Toshiba, Samsung, and other firms.
- Meanwhile, 9to5 Mac has (with the help of sources) compiled a list of auto experts thus far added to Apple's team. In addition to Ford VP Steve Zadesky (previously reported by the WSJ), the list includes three Tesla hardware engineers, former Mercedes-Benz R&D chief Johann Jungwirth, former A123 CTO Mujeeb Ijaz, and several senior designers/engineers previously working on other Apple products.