Ford targets Fully Autonomous Vehicle for ride-hailing or sharing by 2021

From phoning for or hailing a taxi to the nowadays common practive of hailing a ride (from a complete stranger in their car) via an app on your phone.  From driving yourself, to cars that automatically keep a following distance and autotmatically brake in an emergency, and these days even do steering corrections and lane changes for you…

Fully Autonomous Vehicle for ride-hailing or sharing

Many manufacturers are working on the fully autonomous car.  But Ford is working hard on combining a Fully Autonomous Vehicle for ride-hailing or ride sharing.  No need to risk getting into a car with an über driver stranger anymore.

Ford announced its intent to have a fully autonomous vehicle in commercial operation in 2021 in a ride-hailing or ride-sharing service.  To get there, the Ford company is investing in or collaborating with startup companies to enhance its autonomous vehicle development, doubling its Silicon Valley team, where it is also expanding its operations by creating a dedicated campus in Palo Alto, to open mid-2017.

“The next decade will be defined by automation of the automobile, and we see autonomous vehicles as having as significant an impact on society as Ford’s moving assembly line did 100 years ago,” said Mark Fields, Ford president and CEO.  “We’re dedicated to putting on the road an autonomous vehicle that can improve safety and solve social and environmental challenges for millions of people – not just those who can afford luxury vehicles.”

Research and development to be ready by 2021

Building on more than a decade of autonomous vehicle research and development, Ford’s first fully autonomous vehicle will be an SAE level 4 vehicle (Society of Automotive Engineers rated level 4 capable)… without a steering wheel or gas and brake pedals!  It is being specifically designed for commercial mobility services, such as ride-sharing and ride-hailing, and will be available in high volumes.  Confident words for big plans.

This year, Ford will triple its autonomous vehicle test fleet, bringing the number to about 30 self-driving Fusion Hybrid sedans on the roads in California, Arizona and Michigan, with plans to triple it again next year.

To deliver an autonomous vehicle in 2021, Ford is announcing 4 key investments and collaborations that are expanding its strong research, in: advanced algorithms, 3D mapping, LiDAR, and radar and camera sensors.

Imagine the future

Imagine the future just 5 years away:  you will be able to use an app to get a Ford to pick you up and deliver you, without a taxi driver or stranger… in fact, with no driver.