Tesla Apple Deal Was A Real Possibility, But Apple Did Not Entertain It

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed that he once reached out to Apple for a deal about acquiring his electric vehicle company.

Replying to a tweet that mentioned about Apple’s EV project, Musk said he reached out to Apple CEO Tim Cook to discuss the possibility of the smartphone maker acquiring Tesla for a tenth of its current value. However, Cook refused to take the meeting, he noted.

It was when the EV maker had to endure some of the “darkest days”, during 2017 and 2018, of the Model 3 programme as it struggled to ramp up production, with Musk even informing investors that the company was stuck in a “production hell”.

However, the issue, pertaining to the automated manufacturing systems at Tesla’s Reno battery factory, was overcome by the firm and, while the Tesla Apple deal did not happen, the EV maker found its mojo and has not looked back since.

Known as Project Titan, Apple’s first self-driving electric car is said to be put into production come 2024. It is said to use a new battery design that could provide more range, while also reducing the cost of the battery pack.

However, Elon Musk noted that Tesla already uses iron-phosphate, that Apple is supposedly working on, for medium range cars made in its Shanghai factory.

Further, he claimed that a “monocell” (Apple’s battery design) is electrochemically impossible as maximum voltage is about 100 times too low, unless, like Tesla’s structural battery pack, they are bonded together.

If and when Apple launches its EV, we bet Tesla will be ready with a rival for the car as it continues to lead innovation and sales in the electric vehicle market.