Ford’s global chief Mark Fields made the bold statement overnight from the car-maker’s Silicon Valley-based research centre in the United States.
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The company has already kick-started the said project by investing in a total of four start-ups for the development of the said autonomous vehicles.
In a speech to workers, Field said the autonomous automobiles, which won’t include steering wheels or pedals, will “improve safety and solve social and environmental challenges for millions of people – not just those who can afford luxury vehicles”. That’s a break from many other companies, who plan to gradually add self-driving capability to traditional cars.
Ford has announced it intends to have autonomous vehicles operating ride-hailing services in North American cities NY and Austin by 2021.
The Ford vehicle will be fully autonomous with level 4 arrangement; that’s “proper read-a-newspaper-and-have-a-snooze” option, while the auto drives for you. He described the investment in Velodyne as “a clear sign of our commitment to making autonomous vehicles available for consumers around the world”. “So, we abandoned a stepping-stone approach and created a dedicated “top down” engineering program to deliver fully autonomous vehicles and the new mobility solutions and business opportunities that a fully autonomous vehicle could deliver”.
It plans to triple the number again next year. Ford and Baidu Inc., the Chinese Internet behemoth, announced that both companies jointly invested $150 million in Velodyne, a Silicon Valley company that specializes in sensors. That fleet is expected to double in size next year as Ford move closer towards fully embracing autonomous vehicles. Ford also acquired the Israel-based computer vision and machine learning company SAIPS to further strengthen its expertise in artificial intelligence and enhance computer vision. The companies are aiming to mass-produce a more affordable sensor in the future.
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Ford has also formed a partnership with New York-based Nirenberg Neuroscience LLC, a machine vision company that has developed devices for restoring sight to patients with degenerative eye diseases. Ford says its goal is to have true self-driving cars in which everyone inside is a true passenger.
