Ford’s CEO Mark Fields announced Tuesday that the iconic car company will have fully autonomous vehicles road-ready by 2021.
“We’re designing the first gen of autonomous vehicles specifically for ride sharing and ride hailing,” Mr. Fields said from the Ford Research and Innovation Center in Palo Alto, California.
The new vehicles will come without a steering wheel or gas and break pedals.
“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,” Mr. Fields said. “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.”
The company said investments in advanced algorithms, 3D mapping, LiDAR (distance-gauging technology), and radar and camera sensors will help it achieve its goal. Roughly $75 million has already been invested into Velodyne for its LIDAR system.
Ford will also double the number of employees in Silicon Valley from 130 to 260 by 2017.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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