As Google’s Waymo announced a deal with Avis this morning to store and service a fleet of its autonomous vehicles, Apple is reported to be partnering with Hertz as a part of its self-driving vehicle efforts.

The arrangement between Waymo and Avis will be based on vehicle storage and light service while Waymo will retain vehicle ownership. In contrast, Apple’s deal with Hertz will include leasing a small number of Lexus RX450H vehicles, the same model it has been using since the California Department of Motor Vehicles approved Apple to test self-driving technology.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook has penned a short piece on Didi Chuxing president Jean Liu for Time’s 100 Most Influential People feature, and in it he shares his vision for the company in which Apple invested $1 billion last year.

Cook first explained Apple’s investment in the Chinese Uber competitor as “a chance to learn more about certain segments of the China market” among other strategic reasons, and in his latest piece Cook describes the potential for Didi Chuxing to help solve every commuter’s nightmare:

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Apple’s car project has gone quiet over the last few months after frequent reports detailed the company’s efforts to develop an electric vehicle. Now there’s a new development via Business Insider: Apple has registered with the state of California to test self-driving vehicles.

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If Apple is going to produce an electric vehicle like Tesla, then naturally Apple will want to provide customers with a way to recharge away from home without relying on infrastructure from third parties. Reuters now reports that Apple is showing interest in such charging stations as it’s talking to existing companies and hiring engineers with experience in building them.

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One of the largest property companies in the San Francisco Bay Area has said during an investor call that Apple is seeking around 800,000 square feet of space in the area to expand its car project. The WSJ quotes Hudson Pacific Properties CEO Victor Coleman talking about rising demand for space for car R&D in the area.

We’re seeing the Toyotas of the world, the Teslas of the world, BMWs, Mercedes. Ford now is out in the marketplace looking for space. I haven’t even mentioned the 400,000 square feet that Google’s looking to take down and the 800,000 square feet that Apple’s looking to take down for their autonomous cars as well.

That would be almost a third the size of the spaceship campus Apple is currently building, which is around 2.8M square feet …

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While it has been said that it’s “common knowledge” Apple is working on building an electric car, there’s still much we don’t know about the company’s plans. According to a new report from Silicon Valley Business Journal, though, Apple has been quietly purchasing and leasing a variety of buildings in Sunnyvale, California. The company is naming most buildings after Greek mythological figures, as well.

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