article_snippet: Apple could have an electric car ready to go on sale by 2020, putting Apple in direct competition with rivals Tesla Motors and General Motors, according to an industry expert.
article_snippet: Evidence is mounting that industry is gearing up to revolutionise the automobile market, just as industry did with smartphones and tablets.
article_snippet: Bloomberg has claimed that Apple could have a car ready by 2020, based on images of a test car.
article_snippet: According to Tim Higgins from Bloomberg, automakers 'typically spend five to seven years developing a car'.
article_snippet: And a 2020 timeframe would underscore Apple's 'aggressive goals and could set the stage for a battle for customers with Tesla Motors Inc and General Motors Co.'
article_snippet: Both of those are planning to release a sub-£26,000 ($40,000) electric car in 2017 that can travel more than 200 miles (320km) on a single charge.
article_snippet: Steve LeVine, author of 'The Powerhouse,' a book about the automotive battery industry, said on Bloomberg TV Thursday: 'Was GM really going to be able to match Tesla?
article_snippet: And rumours range from a Street View-style mapping service to an electric car that will rival Tesla or a self-driving van to rival Google.
article_snippet: In particular, Apple may be working on an electric car to rival Tesla's range (the Tesla P85D is pictured) or an email from an unnamed Apple employee could be referring to an advanced iPhone in-car control system that would rival Tesla's software .
article_snippet: The head of self-driving cars for Google expects real people to be using real people on public roads in two to five years.
article_snippet: Chris Urmson said self-driving cars for Google would still be test vehicles, and Google would collect data on how self-driving cars for Google interact with other vehicles and pedestrians.
article_snippet: But Chris Urmson wouldn't give a date for putting driverless cars on roads en masse, saying that an advanced iPhone in-car control system that would rival Tesla's software has to be safe enough to work properly.
article_snippet: Chris Urmson told reporters last month at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit that Chris Urmson wants to reach the point where Chris Urmson test team no longer has to pilot self-driving cars for Google.
article_snippet: Alternatively, the Apple employee's email could be referring to an advanced iPhone in-car control system that would rival Tesla's software.
article_snippet: If Apple was developing such systems, Apple would would rival Google's self-driving cars (pictured)