from the where'd-I-leave-that-steering-wheel dept.
Ford plans to build cars capable of SAE Level Four autonomous driving and have them hit the road as part of a ride-hailing service by 2021:
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. [...] 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.
Ford also announced investments/partnerships with Velodyne, SAIPS, Nirenberg Neuroscience LLC, and Civil Maps, as well as an expansion of its Silicon Valley presence with a new campus in Palo Alto.
Reported at BBC, NPR, CNBC, and Bloomberg, which notes that the company is skipping driver-assist steps.
Related Stories
Ford Motor Co. is betting big on driverless cars by funneling money to a startup founded by former Google and Uber employees:
Ford Motor is betting $1 billion on the world's self-driving car future. The Detroit automaker announced Friday that it would allocate that sum over five years to a new autonomous car startup called Argo AI, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., and will have offices in Michigan and California. Ford's financial outlay is part of a continuing investment strategy anchored to transforming the car and truck seller into a mobility company with a hand in ride-hailing, ride-sharing and even bicycle rentals.
Argo AI was cofounded a few months ago by Google car project veteran Bryan Salesky and Uber engineer Peter Rander, who met while working at Carnegie Mellon University's vaunted robotics and engineering school. "The reason for the investment is not only to drive the delivery of our own autonomous vehicle by 2021, but also to deliver value to our shareholders by creating a software platform that can be licensed to others," Ford CEO Mark Fields told USA TODAY. "This move gets us the agility and speed of a startup combined with Ford's global scale." Salesky, a self-driving car hardware specialist who left Google's renamed Waymo car program last fall, said that he decided to start his own company with Rander because of "the incredible advancements in machine learning, artificial intelligence and computer vision, but we just needed a partner to get these cars into the hands of millions of people."
Also at Ford and The Detroit News.
Having a look at the previously published stories as well as this one, it appears that there is no more need for collaboration:
Google and Ford to Collaborate on Autonomous Vehicles
Google, Ford, Uber Launch Coalition to Further Self-Driving Cars
Ford Pumps Cash Into Company Creating Maps for Self-Driving Cars
Ford Will Pursue Fleet of Autonomous Cars by 2021
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 18 2016, @09:16PM
If Detroit's still alive,
No cars that we can drive
We may find...
(Score: 2, Insightful) by archfeld on Thursday August 18 2016, @09:21PM
These same manufacturers can barely make a car that people can drive that doesn't shift out of gear spontaneously, or fail mechanically on basic functions after 150 years, but they are gonna make one that can drive itself reliably in 5-7 years. I'll hold my breath...
For the NSA : Explosives, guns, assassination, conspiracy, primers, detonators, initiators, main charge, nuclear charge
(Score: 2, Funny) by Ethanol-fueled on Thursday August 18 2016, @09:24PM
Hey, fellow loud-mouthed rabblerousers! I'm Michael Hastings, and this is Jackasss.
* Gets into a self-driving car *
Those are a natural occurence. Get in the car, work 8 hours a day, reproduce, consume.
(Score: 4, Touché) by bob_super on Thursday August 18 2016, @09:39PM
Only 8 hours? You're fired!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by quintessence on Thursday August 18 2016, @09:52PM
Not certain of Ford's advances in this area, but they are capable of well conceived (if ugly) vehicles. Note Ford was the the only US company not to get bailedout (yeah yeah yeah- it was a loan). They are competent enough to execute this although the timeline seems a bit optimistic.
Wait and see.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 18 2016, @10:25PM
While I'm very happy with the Ford I bought a few years ago (the fact that they did not need a bailout was a big factor in choosing manufacturer), and I'm optimistic about self-driving cars being at least an order of magnitude safer than having humans behind the wheel, I still want to see one of these cars handle a blizzard or construction season. (Those are the only two seasons we have here, so it's kind of a showstopper for me if they can't.)
I don't think I'd want one anyway. Too much telemetry. I've successfully avoided Windows 10 so far and don't need it in my car!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 18 2016, @10:36PM
Should have read TFS.
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
That's a start, but if it was last year, it doesn't count. Year before last, I'll accept it.
(Score: 2) by quintessence on Thursday August 18 2016, @11:08PM
I still want to see one of these cars handle a blizzard or construction season.
One of the bits I anticipate is not only smart cars, but smart roads where there are transmitters and sensors to help autonomous vehicles through unusual circumstances. I mean cones are laid out as a visual cue for drivers so it makes sense to have an equivalent cue for autonomous vehicles that can be incorporated into the programing.
Adverse weather is going to be trickier as even the best of drivers miscalculate road condition, but embedded sensors in the road might help machine and human alike.
TL;DR- Roadways now are designed for human drivers. I anticipate a redesign to accommodate driverless cars.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday August 18 2016, @11:17PM
The US can't allocate money to rebuild known-bad bridges, and you would like intelligent roads?
Right ... Get ready to only ride in autonomous mode on the "I-88 by Google" towards the "Facebook I-90", with a right turn at the "Ford/Apple I-55"
(Score: 2) by quintessence on Thursday August 18 2016, @11:28PM
Um, what you meant to say is the federal government can't allocate to repair older bridges.
Various state governments are doing reasonably well.
And I don't anticipate it all happening at once, but being added once a standard is agreed upon and in the course of roads getting repaired.
So you may very well see "I-88 by Google" as year by year more roads are equipped with sensors.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday August 18 2016, @11:56PM
> Various state governments are doing reasonably well.
Yes, the numbers are declining, but they're still scary, especially compared to the investments in Pentagon toys.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi/no10/defbr15.cfm [dot.gov]
> So you may very well see "I-88 by Google" as year by year more roads are equipped with sensors.
Did I mention that those would all turn into private tollways (unless you're in a "sponsor brand" car)?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 19 2016, @02:31AM
smart roads where there are transmitters and sensors to help autonomous vehicles through unusual circumstances
You must have quite a lot more faith in construction crews than I do. It seems local crews are always misplacing signage.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 19 2016, @05:59PM
Gotta love the "Construction Ahead - Expect Long Delays" signs placed right after the intersection where you could've turned to avoid it.
(Score: 2) by hamsterdan on Thursday August 18 2016, @11:11PM
"I still want to see one of these cars handle a blizzard or construction season. (Those are the only two seasons we have here"
Let me guess, Montreal too?
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday August 18 2016, @11:24PM
That describes pretty much anywhere north of US I-80 and East of US I-15...
(Score: 2) by archfeld on Friday August 19 2016, @01:56AM
I don't doubt that they can institute a driver assist program, but I am not sure that even if they do I want to be in a car that has no backup should there be a failure of the group think director, or a local failure of recognition software. What if you need to drive off road or on an unmarked gravel roadway without lines, lanes, or posted markers ? There are quite a few roadways here in AZ that are not county maintained thus have none of the wonders of modern society.
For the NSA : Explosives, guns, assassination, conspiracy, primers, detonators, initiators, main charge, nuclear charge
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Friday August 19 2016, @05:23PM
They *can* be capable enough. Some, too many, of their models have been junk.
That said, I'm not clear of the distinction between SAE Level Four and SAE Level Five. It would seem that level 5 is what you would need for an automated taxi.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by edIII on Thursday August 18 2016, @11:07PM
Don't worry about it. Their plan is to eliminate all those pesky costs and union woes associated with drivers, and go straight to Jonny Cab. Jonny loves his job, like he loves his programmers; Like he was programmed.
I have to laugh, so as not to cry, but who is affording these cabs in the first place? Would that be any part of the service class now disappearing with automation of fast food restaurants, which you know is going to expand to other businesses? Who can afford the cab ride, when they cannot afford anything at the destination either?
We will be an automated nation of extreme poverty contrasted by the newly contracted service class and the elites they service. At least you won't have to drive yourself anywhere.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday August 19 2016, @06:27PM
The answer to this problem is simple: it's called the Universal Basic Income (I'll let you google it).
Without it, yes, we're going to have a lot of extreme poverty.
(Score: 2) by edIII on Friday August 19 2016, @07:39PM
That's not simple at all. That UBI needs to come from some place. Where?
Over 90% of the wealth is in the hands of 63 people. Poor people and the middle class make up the bulk of taxation. You can't tax these demographics AND give them UBI. It's impossible as the total amount of money required doesn't actually exist within that system.
You add money to that system by rising up and killing the entirety of the 1%. That 90% of the wealth will then flow back into 90% of the people. You'll have so much fucking money you won't know what to do with it.
Sure, the killing sounds a bit violent, but then again, the violence of the 1% will never stop. If they can't even budge on paying people living wages (meaning average, normal, MODEST standards of living) FOR ACTUAL FUCKING WORK OVER 8-16 HOURS, then why could we ever believe they would pay us to do nothing instead?
I'm not fucking interested in UBI. I can work for a living, once I'm allowed to see some doctors and hopefully get better (if not I'm just shooting myself). All I'm asking is that people be allowed to work for a living wage. Then you don't need all the fucking drama over social programs, as the living wage implicitly provides the resources that average Joe and Sally need to live. Once that happens, you can tax these people reasonably and provide the social programs for the part of our population that will always need it. We're going to have sick and disabled people living around us, and I'm not a fan of eugenics, or giving some poor soul ~$500/month to survive on an acknowledged medical disability, when the average rent is over 3x that. Nobody can survive when average rents are > 100% of monthly income, let alone take home pay.
UBI is interesting, but always remember that the money for it needs to come from the elites. They only give one thing to us: Oppression.
Once the civil war happens and we kill all those fuckers brutally, you won't see a need for UBI. We have more than enough resources to take care of ourselves in style, and still completely fund all the social programs, but only once you get rid of the parasites.
Get rid of the parasites and you will realize that you were starving while giving Fat Bastard a run for his money on how much you could consume....
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday August 19 2016, @06:23PM
I'm no fan of Ford (I'm a fan of Japanese automakers), but if I was absolutely forced to purchase a new car from one of the Big 3 American makers, it'd most likely be a Ford. I have much more faith in their products being reliable than the other two, and I have probably the least faith in Chrysler. The Volt seems like a really neat car, but GM cars are just not known for reliability or longevity; their interiors start looking like shit after a very short time. I have a friend with a 2010 Impala and it honestly looks like a 20-year-old car to me.
However, this doesn't mean I think of Ford as "reliable" either. Their newer cars are already infamous for having big problems with the DSG transmissions.
My advice: buy a Mazda, Honda, Subaru, or Toyota.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 18 2016, @10:56PM
...giving the cars as much as 52 months to Escape.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Sulla on Thursday August 18 2016, @10:58PM
Recent and upcoming changes seem to be focused around aluminum for weight reduction, turbo engines to make engines smaller, a possible sunset for the v8 in trucks, and now self guided vehicles. Quite optimistic
It will be interesting to see what they are able to do. I suspect that trying to take over the taxi business with a small displacement vehicle without a driver might be a scam to get more vehicles on the road keeping the CAFR (or whatever it is) average good enough to meet 2025 fleet requirements. No driver saves 200lbs in the person then whatever steering they can remove.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 19 2016, @01:16PM
Hey everyone, work for Uber, join the gig econom-iiiihhhh... errr... who's going to make money on this again?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 19 2016, @02:15PM
They want to be valued as a Silicon Valley startup.
Step 1: Announce vapor ware.