Apple leases former Pepsi plant in Sunnyvale, likely for Project Titan electric car initiative

According to a report from Silicon Valley Business Journal, Apple has recently leased a 96,000-square-foot industrial property in Sunnyvale, California. The property was originally home to a Pepsi bottling plant, but Apple now occupies the entire space. It has widely been reported in the past that Apple is testing its Project Titan electric car initiative in Sunnyvale, with the company reportedly operating a shell company called Sixty Eight Research out of the city.

It’s unclear at this point as to how long Apple has leased the building. Pepsi operated it until 2013, but the building has been vacant since then. The building, originally built in 1957, is located on a 5 acre land plot and is more of a warehouse-type structure than a normal office building, with the rear housing truck docks.

Specific details regarding the lease are unclear. The report claims that the only thing on file for the lease is a seismic upgrade submitted in January, perhaps hinting that Apple doesn’t have any intentions to develop the building and will use it as is.

Apple has been expanding in Sunnyvale at an extraordinary pace recently. The company is said to have rented office space in the city to lead its electric car initiatives. Also in Sunnyvale, Apple has leased an 80,257-square-foot property, as well as a 140,000-square-foot building, both within 10 minutes walking district from its new warehouse property.

It was reported earlier this year that there has been a heavy security presence around Apple’s rumored testing facility for its car project in Sunnyvale, as well as a lot of noise. While Apple has kept most of the details under wraps, Elon Musk has stated that it’s an “open secret” that the company is developing an electric car. The company has made a handful of hires to work on the project, and has been growing that team at an incredible pace over recent months.