Despite a recent patent detailing how Apple's first car will take an innovative approach to passenger safety, the development of the Apple Car faces a setback, according to a new report, delaying the launch date for the electric vehicle by two years longer than previously expected.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Garman, Apple's expected launch date for the EV has been pushed back from 2026 to 2028; the project, reportedly underway since 2014, aimed to equip the sleek electric car with advanced self-driving capabilities. Now, however, the company appears to be scaling back its ambitions.

According to Garman, the EV system will be classified as a Level 2+ system with lane center keeping and adaptive cruise control capabilities, similar to what Tesla is bringing to market. Apple originally intended to debut a Level 5 or Level 4 car with true autonomous driving capabilities as a secret weapon.

Called the "Apple Car" for the time being, such an EV would be a breakthrough for the company. We have seen with the Apple Vision Pro that Cupertino engineers are not anxious to push the limits of their products, but cars are a whole new frontier. [Apple CarPlay has been quite successful as a smart interface for existing cars. So for Apple, the software experience should not be as much of a challenge as creating a functional car that is fun and safe to drive. I think it is important to focus on the "safety" part of the equation.

This new information that Apple is scaling back its automotive plans suggests that the first generation Apple Car may not be the "car of the future" but an Apple-made EV. It remains to be seen how Apple intends to compete with the numerous EVs on the market today, but we do know that there is a Ford veteran on the team who specializes in safety engineering. Former Porsche and Lamborghini members are also apparently involved in the project.

Apple will be touting the respected background of the Apple Car development team when it brings the EV to market. Knowing that it will not be cheap (Garman puts the price in the $100,000 range), the company will need to justify the car beyond the software and the experience of the "Apple ecosystem."