Apple pulls plug on pure-electric car

Apple's ambition to become a car maker has been terminated with the loss of hundreds of jobs, according to new reports.

The computer, smartphone and software giant had originally aimed to create the world's first fully autonomous, affordable, pure-electric car.

Apple is claimed to have employed more than 1000 experts from the automotive industry, as well as leading software engineers who specialise in autonomous driving for the launch of Project Titan, the codename for its development programme.

Until the story broke last night, it was thought Apple was close to realising its dream, with prototypes already testing at secure facilities.

Rumours were rife the California-based company was in talks with BMW to use its i3 pure-electric car, initially, as the basis for its first branded car - but these plans are now all in disarray.

According to newswire Bloomberg Project Titan has now been radically scaled back with the loss, or reassignment of "several hundred" jobs.

Speaking to a source working close to Apple, Bloomberg says that instead of making a car, Apple has abandoned those plans to re-focus on packaging up and selling its self-drive software.

"Behind-the-scenes chaos", plus an "incredible failure of leadership" are both blamed for the dramatic U-turn, says the unnamed insider.

The technology company has reportedly struggled to adapt to a development environment calling on collaboration with the notoriously tricky automotive supply chain. This meant the smartphone maker would have to invest heavily in the third-party supplier - which it wasn't prepared to do, as it would impact on profit margins, says the source.

Finally, Apple also struggled to stem the haemorrhaging of talented employees leaving Project Titan to work for some of its rivals, including new Chinese start-ups. This, if correct, is ironic in light of Elon Musk's stated concern that Apple was poaching Tesla engineers.

Apple has now given the remaining small band of employees, still working on what's left of Project Titan, a deadline of late next year to prove the feasibility of the self-driving software the team has been developing.

Apple has refused to comment on the Bloomberg story.