Apple is reportedly interested in designing electric cars and several hundred employees are said to be working to build the brand's first electric car. The Apple electric car is being built under the codename, Project Titan said Reuters .
Rumors of an Apple car are being fueled by confirmed sightings of Apple vans fully-equipped with cameras and LiDAR sensors making the rounds of a number of U.S. cities taking photos, videos and collecting data. Analysts said this seems to suggest Apple's interest in building a self-driving car or an autonomous vehicle similar to Google's.
"The size of the project team and the senior people involved indicate that the company is serious," the Journal wrote.
The paper revealed talks between Apple, high-end car manufacturers and Marc Newsom, an expert in car design.
The Journal also reported Project Titan is motivating Apple employees to work harder. Apple currently has issues with Tesla Motors and its founder, Elon Musk. News reports said Tesla recently poached more than 150 Apple employees.
In 2014, Tesla has revealed it wouldn't file lawsuits against other companies planning to make use of its patented electric vehicles' technology.
In the same year, Musk confirmed informal talks were going on involving Apple executives. He's denied rumors Apple plans to buy Tesla.