from the how-long-'till-we-have-Knight-Rider? dept.
Submitted via IRC for SoyCow5743
Ford might not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of autonomous vehicles (unless you really like Domino's pizza), but that doesn't mean the automaker is sitting by while everyone else is making leaps and bounds in the space. The company just announced that it's making a $5 million investment in the American Center for Mobility. "This is an investment in the safe, rapid testing and deployment of transformative technology that will help improve peoples' lives," Ford's CTO Ken Washington said in a press release (PDF).
The money puts Ford in the same company as AT&T, Toyota Motor North America and Toyota Research Institute as a founder of the 500 acre Willow Run autonomous vehicle testing campus located outside of Detroit in Ypsilanti Township. Willow Run's first phase is scheduled to open this December. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder called the investment a show of faith from Ford to the world's automotive capital. "As the convergence between the technological and manufacturing sectors continues to grow, it is very encouraging to see great Michigan companies like Ford leading the way toward our future," he said in the same release.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/15/ford-willow-run-investment/
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Ford Motor Company plans to substantially increase its investment in electric vehicles:
Ford Motor Co's plan to double its electrified vehicle spending is part of an investment tsunami in batteries and electric cars by global automakers that now totals $90 billion and is still growing, a Reuters analysis shows.
That money is pouring in to a tiny sector that amounts to less than 1 percent of the 90 million vehicles sold each year and where Elon Musk's Tesla Inc, with sales of only three models totaling just over 100,000 vehicles in 2017, was a dominant player.
[...] "We're all in," Ford Motor Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr said of the company's $11 billion investment, announced on Sunday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "The only question is, will the customers be there with us?"
[...] Investments in electrified vehicles announced to date include at least $19 billion by automakers in the United States, $21 billion in China and $52 billion in Germany.
Also at CNBC.
Related: Ford Pumps Cash Into Company Creating Maps for Self-Driving Cars
Ford Invests in Michigan's Autonomous Car Testing Grounds
(Score: 4, Interesting) by c0lo on Monday September 18 2017, @06:42AM (3 children)
For comparison, Mark Fields (Ford's CEO) had his pay up 19% to $18.8 million [fortune.com].
This is to show... mmm... what exactly?...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday September 18 2017, @12:02PM (2 children)
I could see that Fields might be more than three times as valuable to Ford as an investment in a testing track for self-driving cars. So not seeing the point of your observation.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday September 18 2017, @05:39PM (1 child)
Ok, let's rephrase in a(n equally pointless) form: improving Fields' single life by $3M (19% of $18.8M) is more than half as valuable as improving many others people life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday September 18 2017, @08:25PM
To Ford. That says it all.
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Monday September 18 2017, @12:39PM
It's not just a motto, it’s a pledge. The era of economic surrender for the United States is over, thanks to me. We are going to be cutting taxes massively for both the middle class and for companies. And that’s massively. We’re trying to get it down to anywhere from 15% to 20%. We think we can cut regulations by 75%. Maybe more. The autonomous cars, I call them driverless cars, are going to bring a lot, a lot of jobs. But they need a big cut in regulations. I'll tell you, I visited the American Center for Mobility in March. Where I spoke with our great auto makers. Ford and Fiat Chrysler are bringing back jobs. And GM is keeping them here. In the U.S.A. Terrific! I want new plants to be built here for cars sold here! A big hand for our auto makers, and a big, big hand for Governor Snyder! Who has dealt very wisely with the bankruptcy crisis in Flint. 🇺🇸