Apple Car’s team is joined by former Tesla autopilot CJ Moore. The addition of the self-driving technology engineer comes after the departure of former Apple Car chief Doug Field to join Ford Motors. Field had left Apple to join Tesla and oversaw the development and launch of the successful Model 3 sedan and in 2018, he rejoined Apple as the part of Project Titan, Apple’s autonomous electric vehicle. Although the Cupertino tech giant appointed Apple Watch software executive Kevin Lynch to head the Apple Car division, Field’s departure was considered a setback.
Controversial Telsa engineer joins Apple Car team
As per the report, Moore is working on software and reporting to Stuart Bowers, who is also a former Tesla executive who led its Autopilot team and joined the Apple Car project in 2020. Moore is known for controversial testimony regarding Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s claims of autonomous capabilities in his cars.
Earlier this year, the California Department of Motor Vehicles interviewed Moore about Musk’s claim that Teslas would be capable of fully autonomous driving this year. He said that claim is far from reality.
Moore signaled in response that Musk’s statements didn’t “match engineering reality,” according to a DMV memo summarizing the conversation. For many years, Musk has said he believes Tesla is close to releasing so-called Level 5 autonomy features, which would mean the cars can operate without human intervention. The current system, known as Level 2, requires drivers to keep their hands on the wheel.
Recently, a lawsuit brought by the estate of a Florida man who died in a 2019 crash while using Autopilot is seeking to call Moore as a witness. Legal documents related to the case revealed in October that Moore had left Tesla.
Moore’s addition to Project Titan can be considered a way forward in the development of the Apple Car. We might eventually see Apple’s EV by 2025-2027.
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