The future car ‘plate’ changes … The interest of ‘Apple Car’

▲ Cars lined up. It is not directly related to the content of this article ⓒNew Daily DB

The boundaries between automakers and information technology (IT) companies are seriously breaking down. Following the news that Apple is developing autonomous electric vehicles, this time LG Chem has joined forces with parts maker Magna International to strengthen its competitiveness.

A fierce battle is expected to take place in the future car market as barriers to entry such as engines are broken. There is even the possibility that the manufacturing and development capabilities of automakers are on the test bench.

According to major foreign media such as Reuters, Apple plans to introduce its own autonomous electric vehicle starting in 2024.

Apple is reported to have set a goal to target business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions, not business-to-business (B2B) transactions. It means that the day is not too long in which you will buy ‘Icar’ as well as iPhone online or in the Apple store.

Since 2014, Apple has been promoting the development of autonomous electric vehicles under the name ‘Project Titan’. Mickey Drexler, a former member of Apple’s Board of Directors, said Steve Jobs dreamed of designing ‘Ica’. However, in 2016, dozens of related personnel were observed to have been laid off and to have left the development.

Contrary to the previous forecast, the auto industry could not hide the tension when the ‘surprise plan’ that Apple decided to mount in an autonomous electric vehicle came out.

One official said: “If IT companies like Apple and Baidu seriously enter the electric vehicle market, there will be more powerful competitors like Tesla,” he said. “There are many concerns that it may be difficult to maintain the current position.”

Apple’s greatest strength is that it can make electronic equipment parts more useful in many ways.

Apple is experienced in using the central processing unit (CPU) that constitutes an application processor (AP) that acts like the brain of a smartphone on the iPhone. It is the responsibility of the CPU to predict how to move during autonomous driving and to monitor a series of processes that control the acceleration and deceleration pedals.

Starting last month, they started using self-developed semiconductors for PC products like MacBooks. A lidar sensor is applied to the iPhone 12 Pro smartphone.

The removal of entry barriers with the advent of the electric car era intensified the crisis for automakers. The finished vehicle business is regulated in a complex way and the barrier to entry is quite high.

Internal combustion engines work with tens of thousands of parts in harmony. All parts must be organically assembled and returned, which requires the highest level of technology. Even small defects can be life-threatening, which is why no one can do them because they must have high safety and great durability.

However, since electric vehicles are powered by motors rather than motors, the tens of thousands of parts that were used in the engines of conventional internal combustion engines are not required.

LG Electronics announced on the 23rd that it will establish a joint venture that produces electric vehicle parts by investing one billion dollars (about 1109 billion won) with Magna International. The joint venture will produce motors and inverters (power conversion devices) and supply them to automakers.

The industry believes that when Magna International’s expertise in finished vehicle consignment production and LG Electronics’ battery technology are combined, competitiveness can be immediately improved. The possibility of having the label removed as an electric vehicle parts company without electric vehicles has steadily increased.

Kim Jin-woo, a researcher at Korea Investment & Securities, said: “Apple cannot easily shake off its regrets about cars. Given the relationship between LG Electronics, Magna International and Apple, it is possible to supply parts to autonomous electric vehicles. from Apple”. did.

At the same time, automakers are focusing on batteries, which are key parts that influence the performance of electric vehicles while developing autonomous driving technology.

Hyundai-Kia Motors is securing manpower to develop, design and assure quality, a ‘completely solid battery’ called the dream battery. At a conference earlier this month, Albert Beerman, head of Hyundai Motor Group’s R&D division, said: “We are researching solid-state batteries” and “will showcase the latest battery technology when the time comes.”

Toyota of Japan recently announced that it has developed a fully solid state battery. Next year, it was decided to present the world’s first prototype of an electric vehicle equipped with this completely robust battery. Jim Parley, Ford CEO recently mentioned: “We are discussing direct battery production.”

An industry insider said: “Amid the rapid growth of the EV market, fierce calculations are underway between the automaker and the parts industry that they are not trying to move away from leadership.” “The market is expected to change at a time when the relationship is complex and subtle.”