Apple Car Project Goes Into Overdrive With Ex-Pepsi Plant Lease

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Apple seems to have significantly ramped up its secretive electric car initiative. Since last year, the tech giant has acquired several properties in and around Sunnyvale to develop and test Apple car. Documents reviewed by the Silicon Valley Business Journal suggest that the iPhone maker leased a 96,000-square-foot property at 960 Kafir Road in Sunnyvale last November.

Just another Apple property in Sunnyvale

The property was last used by Pepsi as a bottling plant until 2013. Apple blog 9to5Mac says the lease is an indication that the company was growing its presence in the area that has been previously linked to extensive work on the Apple car or Project Titan, as it is internally known. The iPhone maker has reportedly formed a shell company called Sixty Eight Research in Sunnyvale and has been testing its car in the city.

It is still unclear how long the tech giant has leased the building. It is more like a warehouse structure than a normal office building. The Silicon Valley Business Journal reports that a seismic upgrade submitted in January indicates that Apple would use the building as is rather than redeveloping it. Apple has also leased a 140,000-square-foot building and an 80,257-square foot property in Sunnyvale. Both of them are within 10 minutes of walking distance from the new warehouse property.

Tim Cook pouring massive resources into Apple car

Last year, Apple Insider uncovered Apple’s massive Project Titan campus, consisting of several warehouses and offices to accommodate a variety of secretive operations. One building was called “repair garage” while another was named “auto work area.” Most recently, an individual residing near Apple’s Sunnyvale campus filed a complaint about loud “motor noises” coming out of the facility.

Apple has tried to keep most of the details under wraps. Tim Cook recently said in an interview with Fortune that hiring automobile experts and engineers did not necessarily mean the company was developing a car. Apple has hired more than 1,000 automobile experts since last year. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that Apple’s Project Titan was an “open secret.”

 

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