A week ago Ford, over in the USA had announced its intent to have a high-volume, fully autonomous SAE level 4-capable vehicle in commercial operation in 2021 in a ride-hailing or ride-sharing service. This could mean that your taxi, UBER, GRAB car or those with the same description would actually pick you up and send you somewhere without any one driving the vehicle.
Lots of sensors on the roof of the Fusion Hybrid in order for it to drive by itself.....
But in order to get there, the company is investing in or collaborating with four startups to enhance its autonomous vehicle development, doubling its Silicon Valley team and more than doubling its Palo Alto campus. This year, Ford will triple its autonomous vehicle test fleet to be the largest test fleet of any automaker, bringing the number to about 30 self-driving Fusion Hybrid sedans (aka the Ford Mondeo) on the roads in California, Arizona and Michigan, with plans to triple it again next year.
Ford sees that the next decade will be defined by automation of the automobile, and they see autonomous vehicles as having as significant an impact on society as Ford’s moving assembly line did 100 years ago. They believe that autonomous vehicles that can improve safety and solve social and environmental challenges for millions of people – not just those who can afford luxury vehicles.
Of course, this would mean millions of dollars of research and development. If they do hit their 2021 target, the self-driving taxi of the future will be available in a society where there is road traffic order and not chaos. I think by 2021 you could implement self driving cars over in North America, Europe and other very developed countries like Japan, Singapore and some people say, Batam. Joking on the Batam obviously. But self driving taxis would have to be extra aware about crazed Malaysian drivers who tend to not signal, beat red lights, sit in the middle of yellow lines and going the wrong way down a one way street.
I foresee this only happening in most Asian countries when we evolve into more disciplined societies than what we are today. Maybe in 2050. But 2021 could be a very achievable dateline for autonomous ride sharing transport for most developed countries. Any one wants to bet a Ringgit?
As for the Ford Fusion, aka Ford Mondeo here in Malaysia and in the UK, click here for a review of the 2015 Ford Mondeo 2.0 Ecoboost which we tested sometime ago.
PRESS RELEASE
Ford Targets Fully Autonomous Vehicle for Ride Sharing in 2021;Invests in New Tech Companies, Doubles Silicon Valley Team
Ford announces intention to deliver high-volume, fully autonomous vehicle for ride
sharing in 2021
Ford investing in or collaborating with four startups on autonomous vehicle development
Company also doubling Silicon Valley team and more than doubling Palo Alto campus
PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 16, 2016 – Ford today announces its intent to have a high-volume, fully
autonomous SAE level 4-capable vehicle in commercial operation in 2021 in a ride-hailing or ride-
sharing service.
To get there, the company is investing in or collaborating with four startups to enhance its
autonomous vehicle development, doubling its Silicon Valley team and more than doubling its Palo
Alto campus.
“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.”
Autonomous vehicles in 2021 are part of Ford Smart Mobility, the company’s plan to be a leader in
autonomous vehicles, as well as in connectivity, mobility, the customer experience, and data and
analytics.
Driving autonomous vehicle leadership
Building on more than a decade of autonomous vehicle research and development, Ford’s first fully
autonomous vehicle will be a Society of Automotive Engineers-rated level 4-capable vehicle 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.
“Ford has been developing and testing autonomous vehicles for more than 10 years,” said Raj Nair,
Ford executive vice president, Global Product Development, and chief technical officer. “We have a
strategic advantage because of our ability to combine the software and sensing technology with the
sophisticated engineering necessary to manufacture high-quality vehicles. That is what it takes to
make autonomous vehicles a reality for millions of people around the world.”
This year, Ford will triple its autonomous vehicle test fleet to be the largest test fleet of any
automaker – 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.
Ford was the first automaker to begin testing its vehicles at Mcity, University of Michigan’s
simulated urban environment, the first automaker to publicly demonstrate autonomous vehicle
operation in the snow and the first automaker to test its autonomous research vehicles at night, in
complete darkness, as part of LiDAR sensor development.
To deliver an autonomous vehicle in 2021, Ford is announcing four key investments and
collaborations that are expanding its strong research in advanced algorithms, 3D mapping, LiDAR,
and radar and camera sensors:
Velodyne: Ford has invested in Velodyne, the Silicon Valley-based leader in light detection
and ranging (LiDAR) sensors. The aim is to quickly mass-produce a more affordable
automotive LiDAR sensor. Ford has a longstanding relationship with Velodyne, and was
among the first to use LiDAR for both high-resolution mapping and autonomous driving
beginning more than 10 years ago
SAIPS: Ford has acquired the Israel-based computer vision and machine learning company
to further strengthen its expertise in artificial intelligence and enhance computer vision.
SAIPS has developed algorithmic solutions in image and video processing, deep learning,
signal processing and classification. This expertise will help Ford autonomous vehicles learn
and adapt to the surroundings of their environment
Nirenberg Neuroscience LLC: Ford has an exclusive licensing agreement with Nirenberg
Neuroscience, a machine vision company founded by neuroscientist Dr. Sheila Nirenberg,
who cracked the neural code the eye uses to transmit visual information to the brain. This
has led to a powerful machine vision platform for performing navigation, object recognition,
facial recognition and other functions, with many potential applications. For example, it is
already being applied by Dr. Nirenberg to develop a device for restoring sight to patients
with degenerative diseases of the retina. Ford’s partnership with Nirenberg Neuroscience
will help bring humanlike intelligence to the machine learning modules of its autonomous
vehicle virtual driver system
Civil Maps: Ford has invested in Berkeley, California-based Civil Maps to further develop
high-resolution 3D mapping capabilities. Civil Maps has pioneered an innovative 3D
mapping technique that is scalable and more efficient than existing processes. This provides
Ford another way to develop high-resolution 3D maps of autonomous vehicle environments
Silicon Valley expansion
Ford also is expanding its Silicon Valley operations, creating a dedicated campus in Palo Alto.
Adding two new buildings and 150,000 square feet of work and lab space adjacent to the current
Research and Innovation Center, the expanded campus grows the company’s local footprint and
supports plans to double the size of the Palo Alto team by the end of 2017.
“Our presence in Silicon Valley has been integral to accelerating our learning and deliverables
driving Ford Smart Mobility,” said Ken Washington, Ford vice president, Research and Advanced
Engineering. “Our goal was to become a member of the community. Today, we are actively working
with more than 40 startups, and have developed a strong collaboration with many incubators,
allowing us to accelerate development of technologies and services.”
Since the new Ford Research and Innovation Center Palo Alto opened in January 2015, the facility
has rapidly grown to be one of the largest automotive manufacturer research centers in the region.
Today, it is home to more than 130 researchers, engineers and scientists, who are increasing
Ford’s collaboration with the Silicon Valley ecosystem.
Research and Innovation Center Palo Alto’s multi-disciplinary research and innovation is the newest
of nearly a dozen of Ford’s global research, innovation, IT and engineering centers. The expanded
Palo Alto campus opens in mid-2017.
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