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Ford Plans a Fleet of Fully Autonomous Cars Operating in a Ride-Hail Service By 2021 (recode.net)

Posted by msmash on from the autonomous-future dept.

Ford will mass-produce autonomous vehicles without steering wheels by 2021, Ford chief executive Mark Fields said today at the Ford Research and Innovation Center in Palo Alto, California. Recode reports:Fields announced that the company is working toward launching a fleet of commercial, level 4 (one level below a completely autonomous system, in which drivers don't have to be engaged) vehicles in a ride-hail service by 2021. The details of that ride-hail service -- such as which company Ford will partner with to operate it -- still haven't been determined. As part of that effort, Ford is investing in Velodyne, a self-driving tech company, and is working with three other startups. Ford has acquired Israel-based computer vision and machine learning company SAIPS, struck up an exclusive licensing agreement with machine vision company Nirenberg Neuroscience LLC and, as previously announced, invested in 3-D mapping startup Civil Maps.

3 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. Because.. Lawsuit? by s.petry · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I know we all want cool automation, but just like Tesla is seeing the litigators won't let it happen. Fix laws and maybe.

    Simple fact: Google cars get into wrecks too, and they are not doing any Freeway driving. The cars are doing 10 miles under the speed limit on roads (probably to increase safety), which causes some of the wrecks. Try driving down El Camino at 25 MP/h because "Google Car" and you will become impatient too.

    Yup, I'm a cynic but also a realist. Current laws are going to stop automakers long before anything is in widespread use.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  2. Ford: Sued out of existence... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ... Introduce cars passengers can't control in 2021, see them crushed by insurance lawsuits in 2022. Unless, of course, they can totally change liability law before that.

  3. FMC is smoking crack by kheldan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In 5 years we still won't have 'fully autonomous, self-driving' cars, they'll still be full of bugs and flaws, and there's no fucking way I'd step into one and have no manual control over direction and speed.

    * * * DO NOT WANT !!! * * *

    --
    Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!