Apple car to see light of day in 2024?

So is the Apple car a thing or not? Earlier this month, a Bloomberg report hinted that the project was basically going nowhere. Now Reuters tells a somewhat different story. The news agency picked up rumors that Apple is targeting 2024 as the year to launch its own passenger vehicle.

People familiar with Apple's Project Titan claim the Cupertino-based electronics giant is developing a vehicle for consumers that will feature new battery technology as well as an Apple-made autonomous driving system. The report indicates Apple views battery technology as critical to making the project work.

Apple is said to be working on a new battery design that will not only "radically" reduce the cost of batteries but also increase the vehicle's driving range. The battery technology discussed in the Reuters article sounds similar to what Tesla is currently working on:

As for the car’s battery, Apple plans to use a unique “monocell” design that bulks up the individual cells in the battery and frees up space inside the battery pack by eliminating pouches and modules that hold battery materials, one of the people said.

Apple’s design means that more active material can be packed inside the battery, giving the car a potentially longer range. Apple is also examining a chemistry for the battery called LFP, or lithium iron phosphate, the person said, which is inherently less likely to overheat and is thus safer than other types of lithium-ion batteries.

Reuters says it's still unknown who would assemble the Apple car. Furthermore, the news agency heard it's still possible that Apple will scale down its ambitions and partner up with a traditional car maker.