Apple car project: When Elon Musk offered Apple CEO Tim Cook to buy Tesla

Tesla's Model 3 was clearly a major success for Elon Musk as the electric sedan turned out to be the best-selling luxury car in 2018. The vehicle performed remarkably well and far exceeded the expectations for Tesla, however, it navigated a bumpy road through the year which even raised an existential question for the electric vehicle company.

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Elon Musk offered to sell Tesla during Model 3 program 

Now, Elon Musk has revealed that he once reached out to Apple Inc’s CEO Tim Cook and offered to sell the now-successful Tesla during the darkest days of its Model 3 program. The famed billionaire shared a tweet where he also stated that Tim refused to take the meeting. He also added that the company was valued at about one-tenth at the time of proposal to its current value.

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In an earlier tweet, Musk also offered his view on reports surrounding Apple potentially launching its own self-driving vehicles with unique battery technology.

For those unaware, there have been several reports online suggesting that Apple is planning to produce electric Apple cars for consumers starting in 2024. The technology giant has been working to redefine the auto industry since 2014, however, there hasn't been much progress despite having worked with some of the top talents and engineers from within the automotive sector.

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Apple is said to be working on a game-changing battery technology that may potentially bring down the cost of batteries while increasing the range of the vehicle. The company will use a monocell battery design to power up the electric vehicle. The unique battery design will allow Apple to bulk up the individual battery cells which will ultimately allow more space inside the battery pack and do away with the modules and pouches.

There aren't any details around who would be the manufacturing partner for these vehicles, however, the company has been rumoured to be in discussions with Magna, which will lend its EV platform to Apple for the car development. However, it is worth noting that Apple is yet to confirm the reports or make any announcement on the development.

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