Apple Has Applied for 248 Car-Related Patents Since 2000

According to research conducted by Tokyo-based Intellectual Property Landscape, Apple has published a total of 248 automobile-related patents.

Self-driving technology, riding comfort, seats, suspension, navigation, battery management, vehicle-to-everything, and more are covered in the patents. Communication and navigation are the two most important patents filed by Apple.

It takes 18 months for a patent to be published. Eight car-related patents have been published by Apple so far, but additional patents should be granted later this year, and the number of patents published is expected to surpass the number published in 2020.

After less than 10 per year in the 2010s, patent filings for car-related inventions began to pick up in 2016 with Apple filing for 44.

We've heard a lot of rumors about Apple's progress since the first news of the company's work on a self- driving vehicle. The work on the car has shifted several times and there were moments when it looked like a full car was not going to happen, but in recent years, changes to the project indicate that Apple is pushing for an electric car to be released by the end of the decade.

Apple has been speaking with various vehicle manufacturers and part suppliers for the last couple years, but it's not clear who Apple will partner with for its electric vehicle. There are many patents related to windows, seats, suspension, and other physical car components that reinforce the idea that Apple is going to release a car.

According to recent rumors, Apple has ambitious plans for its self-driving vehicle, with the aim of changing the car market the way the iPhone changed the phone market. Four seats with no steering wheel or brake pedal are being explored by Apple.

There is no word on when the Apple Car will be launching, but reliable sources like Mark Gurman and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have said that Apple wants to release the car in 2025.