Apple Car Nearly Ran Into Jogger During Test

Apple’s self-driving car is facing serious impediments a new extensive chronology of the project by The Information has revealed. The report alleges that the car is falling victim to software issues and project management turmoil.

The Apple Car, code named Project Titan, has managed to demonstrate some impressive skills, such as performing “a DMV test autonomously to show off its capacities.” It may, however, have fallen into the “demoware” issue. The vehicles (currently modified Lexus SUVs) can perform well on predetermined routes, but struggle on roads that have not been extensively mapped and frequently hand control back over to the human backup driver.

The most noteworthy such event came when a jogger crossed the car’s path earlier this year. The vehicle “only slightly adjusted its path” and Apple concluded that it would have hit the jogger if the human driver had not jumped on the brakes. These are all significant problems for a vehicle that Apple wants to sell without a steering wheel or a brake pedal, something that would require special exemptions from NHTSA.