Although Apple had several recently granted patents that may pertain to self-driving technology, a new patent issued to Apple Electric Car, Inc. has nothing to do with the maker of the iPhone and iPad, among other products.
The Apple Electric Car, Inc. patent’s inventors are not located anywhere near Cupertino – the people credited include one Anthony Bonito from Davie, Fla., and one Perry Pierce from Fort Collins, Colo. And while their golf cart/touchscreen patent is quite interesting, it is completely unrelated to California-based Apple and its iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and more. And Patently Apple, that site that has given us heads-up on myriad Apple patents, said as much. “Is this proof of Apple entering the electric car business? Of course not,” said the publication’s Jack Purcher. “It’s likely just a one in a million fluke that it appeared on today’s list of granted patents for Apple.”
The Apple we all know and probably love, however, did have its own patent that may hint at self-driving technology. The aforementioned Patently Apple reported that Apple was granted about 45 patents, including one that allows users to open and close the doors of their cars, start and stop engines, and more. Separately, there have been reports that the Apple Watch may have compatibility with the Tesla Model S that would allow users to control basic car functions from Apple’s new companion device.