The future of Apple’s electric car might actually be a motorcycle.
Apple is reportedly in talks with Lit Motors, a startup that manufacturers self-balancing motorcycles. Apple’s Project Titan, whose existence has never actually been confirmed by the company, has been working on an electric car for the tech giant for the better part of two years.
The rumor came out the same day multiple sources reported that Apple was in talks to buy sports carmaker McLaren, which is valued at nearly $2 billion. The move could signal that Apple is opting to partner with an existing car manufacturer rather than build the project from the ground up.
The New York Times reports that Apple has already hired several former engineers from Lit Motors. Apple laid off dozens of engineers on Titan project earlier this month.
Lit Moters asks, do you want this, Apple? Yeah you do.
Lit Motors is one of the leaders in Auto-Balancing Electric Vehicles (AEV). Its C-1 light-weight design and low mechanical and aerodynamic drags make it more energy efficient than traditional car models. The design bears a heavy resemblance to Google’s self-driving car. So far the company has received over 1,000 pre-orders, but hasn’t received enough funding to bring the vehicle to market.
Larry Page, founder of Google and CEO of Alphabet, is one of the company’s backers, making an acquisition by Apple a huge grab. On a timeline posted on the Lit Motor’s blog in July, there is no set timeline for the production of the vehicle.
It's LIT!
The company, which was founded in 2010, tried to crowdfund an electric cargo scooter in 2013 called the Kubo, but the project was silently shuttered.
Neither Apple nor Lit Motors have confirmed the companies are in talks.
