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Ford Ousted Its CEO And Is Doubling Down On Self-Driving Cars (qz.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: At a press conference today, Ford announced that it had replaced CEO Mark Fields with Jim Hackett, director of the company's autonomous-car research. Previously the CEO of furniture company Steelcase (and a former athletic director at the University of Michigan), Hackett took a seat on Ford's board in 2013. He has been running the company's Smart Mobility subsidiary since March 2016. Smart Mobility is tasked with securing Ford's long-term future. The division houses Ford's self-driving car program, which plans to start ferrying employees around its Dearborn, Michigan campus in 2018. Outgoing CEO Mark Fields previously said that Ford would sell autonomous vehicles to consumers by 2025. [...] Hackett is expected to continue the push into self-driving cars. "We have to re-energize our business, we need to modernize our business," executive chairman Bill Ford said about the company's initiatives into new technologies at the conference.
Whatever gets me closer to a car that materializes in my driveway as soon as I open my front door, which will be tailored to meet all my requirements for a vehicle and take me everywhere I want to go for a $1. Since this is what people seem to think this will turn into.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
I don't mind the 35% decline in share prices, as the dividends can buy more shares at a lower price.
Radical islam will load it full of anfo with a remote camera and detonator and use it as a guided missile to wage jihad. Ford will be sued and the cars will be outlawed.
The new CEO used to work at a furniture company but is good friends with the Ford family so that's how he got his job. He knows nothing about cars or autonomous vehicles in spite of being in charge of the AV program. He's just a well connected good old boy.
I don't see how this can help. Ford needs somebody who understands cars and autonomous vehicles and electric vehicles. This guy knows nothing.
I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
Just imagine the new wave of proprietary software Ford's going to try to jam down our throats. Unauditable software/firmware in a vehicle is simply unacceptable. Until that changes, we really should not trust these companies with our lives. I hope that someone (looking at you, Tesla) creates an international foundation to handle the development of safe, Free software to run on our vehicles. Even the tech in manually controlled vehicles is dangerous and frightening. Things only will continue to get worse as cars become more and more autonomous unless we put a stop to it now!
That's actually a good point, in that vehicle performance matters a lot less when the occupant does not directly operate the vehicle. Performance is no unimportant; most people want to be conveyed to their destinations in reasonable amounts of time and don't like unnecessary waiting, but if one looks back on the late seventies during the fallout from the OPEC oil embargo, most full-sized cars had less than 200 horsepower while weighing in at over two tons and they still managed to sell. Even what were considered mainstream performance or sports cars of the '60s and early '70s have acceleration rates that can be met by most mid-market, "boring" cars today.
If true autonomous vehicles become the norm, I fully expect that the entire nature of auto body design will change. The traditional three-box design of sedans and coupes and two-box design of wagons, SUVs, vans will almost undoubtedly be re-examined as there will no longer be a need for the driver to face forward, and if powertrain efficiency continues to improve then there may be less need to continue streamlining. While autonomous vehicles and driver-controlled vehicles are mixed on the road I expect that autonomous vehicles will still have to pass crash-safety testing, but it may not be unrealistic to see fully autonomous vehicles start to re-examine traditional carriage design where occupants are able to face each other instead of everyone facing forward, and you could even see tabletops inside of vehicles that are intended for long over-the-road travel.
If petroleum-burning powertrains continune to increase in efficiency, then it's not unreasonble to consider relocating a smaller, barely-adequate powertrain to under the passenger compartment rather than in front of it, similar to the old Skateboard concept that GM worked on in the early noughties, especially if they do a more thorough job of divorcing the duties of the body control module and the powertrain control module such that some bolts and a single umbilicle connect the passenger body from the chassis. Service would be rolling the car into a bay, securing the lift to the body, unbolting the body and the umbilicle, lifting the body off, and having room to work on the chassis. Boxer-type horizontally-opposed engines would fit this chassis well. Obviously electric drivetrains would be even easier.
Future vehicle development would probably center on the configuration of the passenger compartment along with amenities, while attempting to define vehicle exteriors that meet expectations but don't necessarily have to exceed them for most buyers. If one looks at vehicle design now and historically, everyone follows each others' leads anyway, so it would be no stretch to assume that future autonomous passenger cars would continue to follow suit where everyone mimicks everyone else with the occasional halo-car coming out to stir-up interest.
It'll be interesting to see what happens long-term.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
That's the problem, you won't be thinking about all the people with manual cars driving behind you. Cars like that will need a special lane.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
You may want to live more of your life in your car but I don't. I am no good to my family if I am in a car traveling home from work. The faster it can get me to where I need to go the better, so it is a much more useful objective for an automatic car to go faster not slower. Also one thing you are not taking into consideration is that there will be a mix of manual and automatic cars on the road, so how expensive will it be to redesign the roads so that the slow manual cars don't hold up the faster ones?
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
I choose not to live in a place where I have to put up with that.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
We do have slowly accelerating vehicles in the winter when it is icy, and trust me, that makes traffic worse.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
I don't expect autonomous cars to have ridiculously low speeds. 100hp can get you up to freeway speeds and conduct you at those speeds on flat terrain. 150hp with proper gearing is likely plenty for driving at-speed in hilly areas, assuming a reasonable amount of passenger weight.
Autonomous vehicles will not need 300hp to smartly merge onto the freeway and drive with-traffic at 70mph speeds.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
So no one will need to pull a trailer? People buy cars that are 300hp because they are fun to drive, not because it is necessary for driving. This will not change with automated cars.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
I can see that. With traffic now, there isn't a need for 2 second 0-60 times. What is needed is fuel economy, being able to handle being stopped and using as little fuel as possible, and being comfortable to handle the two hour commute caused by a jack-knifed semi or some drunk who flipped their vehicle.
Horsepower has improved since the 1990s. The days of a Geo Metro or Mazda GLC holding up an entire line of traffic on a highway merge are long gone. Almost any car these days can merge safely onto US roads, and if it doesn't... that is the driver's error. We really don't need more HP, but a focus on creature comforts, reliability, and fuel economy. Cheap gas isn't going to last (it can be gone in hours, especially if Iran decides its time to mine the Strait of Hormuz again, or Daesh knocks out a refinery.) Hybrid cars bring the ability to use grid power (here in the US, that can come from biomass, solar, coal, nuclear, wind, or the hot air over DC.), reducing the need for fossil fuels specifically.
With commute times getting longer, and cities uninterested in expanding roads, it might be wise to consider autonomous cars like pop-top campervans. Hop in the vehicle, then take a shower and eat while it takes you to work, similar with the commute home. For longer trips, it would be useful because with automatic refueling, one could let the vehicle drive 24/7, and if you don't feel like stopping for something, you can just do a trip fairly quickly, no having to stop at a hotel for the night.
Haven't you heard?! Tesla will control the automotive industry by 2020!
At $300+ per share and no P/E, I'll pass. This is one of those stocks that you buy a share of to impress your friends and family. That only works if they know next to nothing about stocks. I had a roommate who was so proud that he owned a share of Oracle prior to the dot com bust, and he got mad when I pointed out a half-dozen dividend-paying stocks that were a better investment. IIRC, he only made $11 in profit after selling it off.
Not everyone has the same needs. Besides, not every vehicle right now is expected to or is even capable of pulling a trailer anyway.
I fully expect those who use their vehicles for more than just passenger transportation will not find wholly-autonomous vehicles appropriate to their needs. For those there will continue to be other kinds of vehicles, and those other kinds of vehicles will probably offer both autonomous and conventional driving modes.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Right but all these people are still going to be on the same road at once.. so how do we keep the people with slow car needs from holding up the others?
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Musk is an entrepreneur and a bonafide tech geek. The new guy running Ford is neither of those.
Musk knows the money isn't in electric cars - those are relatively easy to make. Elon has placed his long bets on electric storage and charging infrastructure.
Even if the big 3, the Germans and the Asians all get off their asses and produce actual electric cars people want to buy in significant volumes they will, most likely be buying batteries and charging facilities from Musk.
The legacy auto industry is asleep at the wheel - they are 5 years late to this game and it will cost them a fortune to catch up - and I'm not even talking about autonomous driving. For risk-averse legacy automakers, that technology may be even further out.
I thought EVs were going to solve that problem? EVs will be mainstream before self driving cars are.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
What slower cars?
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
We're talking about how some cars will have less power and thus accelerate slower. They may reach full speed but it may take them a full block to do so, meaning from light to light it may not happen.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
You're looking at the situation like there's only one problem and only one solution.
Sport Utility Vehicles that are actual 4x4s with offroad capability, commercial trucks including light trucks (ie, pickups), and long-haul vehicles will probably retain the option of an internal combustion engine, as these vehicles are may all be used in situations where there's no access to electrical infrastructure to recharge batteries, where the mass for batteries is too cumbersome, or where the amount of time to recharge is unacceptable. As such there will be conventionally-powered or hybrid-powered vehicles capable of at least part-time autonomous operation on the roads.
An electric, full-time-autonomous vehicle is something like a 70% or 80% solution, as probably 70-80% of the time or for 70-80% of the population this vehicle completely meets their needs. The most common use of a vehicle is commuting to work, and most people drive the same commute day-in, day-out. An electric car that can do this plus 50% more range would satisfy the vast majority of people; it would meet their regular needs plus allow for side-trips or other routes that they may reasonably expect to need.
For the rest of the 20-30% other solutions are absolutely necessary. Other drivetrains, other modes of control, etc. Some people would choose to continue to drive themselves regardless. Some would choose to use a vehicle that is less-suited to commuting, as they already do, because of their personal reasons. Either way though, there will still be a sizable market for these customers and it will be filled.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Radical islam will load it full of anfo with a remote camera and detonator and use it as a guided missile to wage jihad. Ford will be sued and the cars will be outlawed.
Except they'll both chase you and backtrack where you came from, how many terrorists successfully escape even if they don't do it as a suicide mission? They mostly end up in some kind of shootout/hostage situation shortly after, like the Boston marathon bombers, San Bernardino, the Christmas market attack in Berlin etc. so I figure for the most part jihadists will simply drive themselves. Failing that you can much easier make an "RC car" with a dummy, dash cam and a bit of hydraulics to push the pedals. Didn't someone essentially make that for $1000?
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
I don't think we'll see too many vehicles equipped to let the occupants do things like bathe while in-motion simply because if there is an emergency there's no good way to protect the occupants from injury. I could see a degree of portable office or entertainment center being common though, especially for those who already have the option to telecommute or for those accustomed to streaming their television content on a schedule of their choosing.
It might even be common to have breakfast or to otherwise dine while in-motion, but I expect it'll be some time before we see more than microwave food prep in a vehicle underway on a public road. Either prepare your breakfast at home and take it into the car with you, or else plan to microwave something while en-route or eat a cold breakfast.
Comparing what people do on commuter-rail might be the best, discounting those services on rail that require an employee to perform.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
To quote myself,
I don't expect autonomous cars to have ridiculously low speeds. 100hp can get you up to freeway speeds and conduct you at those speeds on flat terrain. 150hp with proper gearing is likely plenty for driving at-speed in hilly areas, assuming a reasonable amount of passenger weight.
Autonomous vehicles will not need 300hp to smartly merge onto the freeway and drive with-traffic at 70mph speeds.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
But are 70-80% of the people going to be willing to buy a car that will preclude them from ever being able to do long distance trips? That is the real question. My ICE I drive to work 95% of the time, but I also want to be able to do a long distance trip with it so I will still buy an ICE. Just because a vehicle meets people's needs most of the time it doesn't mean they will be willing to limit themselves from the other 20%.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
I thought you were talking top speed, not acceleration. I can't tell you how quickly a 100hp car would accelerate off the top of my head, but it is sure annoying when you get behind someone who seems reluctant to get to the speed limit as quickly as possible.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
A car that drive itself on the freeway will make it easier for johns and hookers to conduct business in private. Police will be pulling over self-driving cars with steamed up windows to make arrests. Think of the children!
Reluctance to use the power at one's disposal an the power itself are not the same thing.
I've seen people in 5-series BMWs obstruct traffic, and people in 116hp 1990 Mazda Miatas set the pace.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
could we add special lanes for soccer moms driving minivans (or outrageously large SUV's) to keep them out of the left lane?
I feel that i'd be justified in getting a rocket launcher to 'nudge' these people out of the way, but i fear there might be some complicated legal entanglements to contend with.
There is no emotional equal to the contempt one feels at seeing a soccer mom merge onto the freeway, immediately hop into the left lane, and set their cruise control for 60 and just diddle themselves while being COMPLETELY oblivious to the conga line of angry motorists behind them.
dealership only service with self driving cars
Right and people will be people. Inconsistency allows it to work most of the time. If we say an automated car can be made in a certain way though, suddenly you have thousands of cars on the road that will drive consistently slowly. That will be a problem.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
If ICE cars can be rented for road trips, absolutely. For multi-car households, absolutely. For those that feel it is acceptable to stop at the modern-equivalent of rural diner and gas station to have the car charged-up while having a meal, absolutely.
Remember, electric cars have very little maintenance compared to fossil-fuel powered cars. There are simply less consumed lubricants, and many systems that use hydraulics or other fluids or mechanical processes are going to use electric processes. Even things like brakes will need less maintenance, as regen braking attempts to use wheel-motors in lieu of friction to slow the vehicle when possible. For the first hundred-thousand miles I expect that tires, alignments, and brakes will be the only major expenses unless something actually fails, and that the service-life of the vehicle will be based on a combination of the quality of the interior components and how they hold up, plus the longevity of the electric power train, weighed against battery replacement costs. A car with an interior that is in good shape and halfway through the expected longevity of its motor and any power transmission parts would probably have its batteries replaced even if they're expensive. A car with a worn-out interior or close to the end of the expected service life of the motor or transmission probably would not.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Why would they drive slowly? I expect that they'd drive the way that the manufacturer sets them out to drive, and without a human at the controls they'd probably accelerate as quickly as the automaker figures the occupants will accept, and drive as fast as the occupants will accept.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Yeah I'm not interested in renting a car for a road trip. You haven't seen what my kids can do to a back seat, and I don't want to be beholden to the fees I may incur simply to remove a stain.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Then that's fine. You were talking about minimizing the horsepower. If it is enough horsepower to come up to speed quickly then fine.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Just so you know, here is what driving with self driving cars is going to be like: https://tech.slashdot.org/stor...
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Then congratulations, you will continue to fall into the 20-30% range for at least one vehicle in your household.
If it's any consolation I will undoubtedly find myself in the same position, partially since working on cars is a hobby of mine and since we currently have six vehicles already. I wouldn't mind for my daily-commuter and for my wife's daily-commuter to be autonomous, electric vehicles through.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
FTA: Ford is facing a glut of used cars on the market, which makes it easy for consumers to find affordable recent models instead of buying new cars.
Perfecting AI for self-driving cars is a long way off. Idiots (other drivers) are extremely inventive.
RE the quote FTA: YES. This fact means that the economics of buying a gas car will shift rapidly, especially as self-driving and electrics take a big chunk of the market. Skipping the guts of the microeconomics argument:
I think it can be safely said that we are stuck on gasoline cars as a major percentage of the public fleet for two or three decades, minimum.
Cheaper gas, cheaper parts for repair (used or after-market), people with the skills to maintain aging vehicles exist already. If economic times are tight, people are going to make a choice against their conscience and opt for the far-cheaper (future) option of a used gasoline car.
Oh! Unless we crush them all like GM did with all of the EV1's. That prevented any aftermarket from ever developing. Smashy smashy!
Self driving cars are a death spiral for car companies.
The liability will be too great. Every accident will be the "car's fault" and result in litigation. Eventually a software bug will bankrupt one of the car companies.
They are primarily useful for "fleet" sales not consumer sales and will kill profit margins.
I imagine there's lots of old leadership at Ford who insist that there's be a smooth orderly transition to autonomous cars that they'll be all over. However, if things go more like how Lyft expects, they could be in trouble. Their best-selling vehicle (and the USA's best-selling vehicle, for over a decade straight, last I heard) is the F150 pickup truck. 95% of the time I see someone in an F150, it has 1 passenger and isn't hauling anything that wouldn't fit in the back of a Prius (fold down the back seat, and quite a bit can fit in a Prius.) Once people no longer own their own vehicle, and simply call for an autonomous ride to pick them up, how often are they going to be calling a pickup because they need to haul something serious? Not bloody often. Meaning autonomous ridesharing companies are going to buy very few of them. Meaning pickup sales are going to fall off a cliff. Meaning Ford is fucked. I suspect that soccer moms will keep the SUV, and rideshare to replace their sedan when they drive themselves around, so sedan sales will mostly go to autonomous ridesharing companies. Coupes/sports cars will still be purchased as luxury status symbols. If the Mustang is their new F150, Ford's sales are going to be... not so good.
Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
Would rather they develop a standard four door normal looking sedan with an electric motor first. Even if it only has a range of 200km
First, they detune cars and throw in a turbocharger, now they want to try making it blander than a salt-free cracker.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
the list goes on and on...
As it does for human drivers now too.
The difference being, once a problem has been solved (or worked around) in an automated vehicle, *all* of those same vehicles (and potentially everything from that manufacturer) should be able to download and use the fix.
Try doing that with humans.
That list of problems is now a checkbox of projects. Some may never be solved, and would require human intervention no matter what. I expect the vast majority though would be resolved however.
Somewhere in there is a crux point where autonomous cars will be better on average than manual drivers.