- 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
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.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160816006032/en/
Ford's fully autonomous Fusion Hybrid
research vehicle on streets of Dearborn, Michigan. Ford has been
researching autonomous vehicles for more than a decade, and intends
to have a high-volume, fully autonomous SAE level-4-capable vehicle
in commercial operation for ride sharing services in 2021. Ford
currently tests fully autonomous vehicles in Michigan, Arizona and
California, and will triple its autonomous test fleet this year to
have the largest test fleet of any automaker. (Photo: Business
Wire)
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 facility 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.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company
based in Dearborn, Michigan. With about 203,000 employees and 67
plants worldwide, the company’s core business includes designing,
manufacturing, marketing, financing and servicing a full line of
Ford cars, trucks, SUVs and electrified vehicles, as well as
Lincoln luxury vehicles. At the same time, Ford is aggressively
pursuing emerging opportunities through Ford Smart Mobility, the
company’s plan to be a leader in connectivity, mobility, autonomous
vehicles, the customer experience, and data and analytics. The
company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit
Company. For more information regarding Ford, its products
worldwide or Ford Motor Credit Company, visit
www.corporate.ford.com.
This news release and the related presentations contain
forward-looking statements. These statements are based on Ford’s
current expectations for future events. There are risks,
uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those stated, including:
lower-than-anticipated market acceptance of new or existing
products or services; discovery of defects in vehicles resulting in
delays in new model launches, recall campaigns or increased
warranty costs; increased regulations; and cybersecurity risks. For
additional information about these risks, see Ford’s 2015 Form 10-K
report, as updated by Ford’s Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports.
For news releases, related materials and
high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
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Ford Motor CompanyAngie
Kozleski313.218.8203akozlesk@ford.comorAlan
Hall734.845.4410ahall32@ford.com
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