Apple via US Patent and Trademark Office Apple has been talking with lidar suppliers about its electric vehicle project, according to reports. In the last few years, Apple filed a series of vehicle-related patents. Here are six recent Apple patents for vehicle features. Apple has been talking with lidar suppliers about its electric vehicle project, according to reports. The news that an Apple car is reportedly on the horizon may not come as a surprise to those who have paid close attention to the vehicle-related patents Apple has filed in the last few years. In 2017, for example, an Apple patent gave the first hint Apple would make self-driving vehicles. It was reported in January that Apple and Hyundai were planning to sign a deal to make the first "beta" version of an Apple car, though Hyundai has since denied that they were in talks with the tech company.