NEW YORK – Last week news broke that Apple Inc. is indeed serious about adding “automaker” to its resume. Now, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is “accelerating efforts” to build and electric vehicle with a target ship date for 2019.

Apple has hired experts in autonomous vehicle technology, but folks familiar with the plans say Apple isn’t going to make its first EV fully autonomous. “That capability is part of the product’s long-term plans,” WSJ writes, adding: “Apple’s commitment is a sign that the company sees an opportunity to become a player in the automotive industry by applying expertise that it has honed in developing iPhones—in areas such as batteries, sensors and hardware-software integration—to the next generation of cars.”

While many questions remain, such as whether Apple has a manufacturing partner, the 2019 date is “ambitious” given the amount of testing and regulatory hurdles a new car demands—“a complex endeavor, even more so for a company without any experience.”

When asked by “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert about Apple’s interest in an autonomous vehicle, Apple CEO Tim Cook responded: “We look at a number of things along the way, and we decide to really put our energies in a few of them.”