There have been rumours of a Tesla sale to Apple going around for years, but now we get something definitive from the automaker's CEO. Elon Musk replied to a tweet of Reuters' report about Apple's electric car plans, saying he tried to sell his company once to Apple. He said, "During the darkest days of Model 3 program, I reached out to Tim Cook to discuss the possibility of Apple acquiring Tesla (for 1/10 of our current value). He refused to take the meeting."
Musk also questioned the report's accuracy, where it claimed that Apple was working on a "breakthrough" battery that uses a "monocell" design. This battery can reportedly extend its range over other EVs. The report also mentioned Apple exploring the use an iron-phosphate chemistry, so the power cells' manufacturing will be cheaper.
Musk said these suggestions are "Strange, if true." He added that Tesla already uses iron-phosphate batteries in its vehicles manufactured at its Shanghai Gigafactory, and the monocell design is "electrochemically impossible." The resulting battery, Musk said, can't produce a high enough max voltage to be useable. "Maybe they meant cells bonded together, like our structural battery pack?" he asked.
As for the use of the LiDAR sensor, Musk said in the past that it's a "fool's errand." So, safe to say, he isn't the biggest fan of these rumours.
Source: Engadget