Apple fans are fully aware that the Cupertino company is working on an Apple car that is expected to arrive by 2020. Over the past few months, the tech giant has been buying and leasing real-estate properties in and around Sunnyvale to develop its electric car under the Project Titan. Now city documents obtained by the Silicon Valley Business Journal show that buildings that were previously rumored to be related to the Project Titan have been code named after Greek mythological figures.
Apple car’s connection with Greek mythology
Most of the buildings are within walking distance from Apple’s headquarters. City documents revealed that one of the largest buildings is code named “Rhea.” In Greek mythology, Rhea was a Titan, who was also the mother of Zeus. Titans are divine beings who came before popular Greek gods like Zeus and Athena. The Rhea building includes a repair garage, a lube bay, tire changer, wheel sensor, and wheel balancer. All these point to some sort of car under development.
Rhea is also the building where SixtyEight Research is headquartered. SixtyEight Research was previously rumored to be a shell company created by the iPhone maker to maintain secrecy around the Apple car. Another building in San Jose is code named “Zeus.” Zeus was the son of Rhea and father of Athena. According to the Silicon Valley Business Journal, the 290,000-square foot Zeus building houses a 25,000-feet “interim lab” where only 15 employees work.
Athena, Magnolia, and Medusa
There’s also a building code named Athena, which is undergoing a “lengthy facilities closure process.” It was previously a chip fabrication facility for Maxim Semiconductor. Another building code named “Medusa” has areas dedicated a vision lab, eye tracking, and cognitive testing. Finally, one building is called “Magnolia.” It was formerly owned by FedEx, and now houses a “regenerative thermal oxidizer.”
Documents filed with the city of Sunnyvale also reveal that the world’s most valuable company is testing systems for “high-end cars” at an automobile testing center. Tesla founder Elon Musk said earlier this year that Apple car was an open secret. The iPhone maker has hired more than a thousand automobile and battery technology experts to work on the Project Titan.
