In an interview with the BBC, Tesla Motors Inc. founder and CEO Elon Musk on Monday said it is an “open secret” that Apple is working on an electric car. (via MacRumors)

Apple CEO Tim Cook would like to think that the company’s electric car plans are a little more closely guarded than Musk seems to think. When asked about Apple’s rumored car plans during an interview with 60 Minutes late last year, Cook merely laughed and said, “One of the great things about Apple is we probably have more secrecy here than the CIA.”

All that secrecy seems to be moot. Musk said it was “obvious” that Apple is working on an electric car. “It’s pretty hard to hide something if you hire over a thousand engineers to do it,” he added.

Rumors that Apple planned to build its own electric car under a project codenamed “Project Titan” first started doing the rounds in early 2015. The project, allegedly approved by Cook in 2014, has hired engineers and industry experts from the automotive sector, including from an electric car battery maker, Ford Motor Company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Tesla, and others.

While Musk thinks Apple will build a “compelling” electric car, he cautioned that it is “quite hard to do” and does not see the iPhone maker as a threat to Tesla. Musk does not feel the electric car market is a zero-sum game and added that Apple’s entry into the market will only serve to expand the entire industry.

“Tesla will still aspire to make the most compelling electric vehicles, and that would be our goal, while at the same time helping other companies to make electric cars as well,” Musk told the BBC.

Musk’s comments come at a time when his company is expanding the features of its electric vehicles to include autonomous vehicle technologies such as active lane change assistance and self-parking features.

On Saturday, Tesla rolled out a software update to Model S and Model X owners that will allow their cars to park themselves in a garage or perpendicular parking space and also enable drivers to summon their car from a parking spot or garage without the need to be inside the car.

Musk claimed that in two to three years’ time, Tesla owners will be able to summon their car from across country.

Image credit: Tesla Club Belgium, Flickr