RadicalX Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 Ford has said it will launch a production self-driving car in 2021 aimed at ride-hailing and delivery services, but hasn't previously specified exactly how big the launch will be. Now it seems that Ford is going big. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Ford president of global markets Jim Farley said the rollout of autonomous cars and related services will happen "at scale" in 2021. The automaker recently launched an autonomous-car pilot program in Miami, and this will allow Ford to hit the ground running when self-driving cars start rolling off assembly lines, Farley said. The pilot program uses prototype autonomous cars as delivery vehicles for Domino's and Postmates, and tests procedures for fleet management and maintenance. Farley also said that Ford will "own the fleet" and operate services itself. This contrasts with the approach of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Jaguar Land Rover, and Volvo, which seem content supplying vehicles to other companies. However, Ford's eternal rival, General Motors, plans to operate its own autonomous ride-hailing service. By keeping services in-house, Ford and GM are positioning themselves as direct competitors to tech companies like Uber, Lyft, and Waymo, rather than just hardware suppliers. While the company has discussed using self-driving cars in ride-hailing services, Ford's efforts so far have focused on delivery services. This may be an easier path toward commercialization since it doesn't require people to actually ride in autonomous vehicles. Despite the gung-ho attitude of automakers and tech companies, recent studies indicate the public may be hesitant to trust self-driving cars. Regardless of what business Ford uses its autonomous vehicles for, owning the fleet will act as a hedge against a potential erosion of new-car sales. The combination of autonomous driving and sharing services is expected to have a much bigger impact on the automotive landscape than either factor could have on its own. But if car sales dry up, Ford could shift its focus to ride-hailing and delivery services. As a vehicle manufacturer, the Blue Oval would have an advantage over tech companies buying vehicles from suppliers. http://www.thedrive.com/tech/20147/fords-self-driving-car-service-will-launch-at-scale-in-2021-exec-says Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
351cid Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 Ugh.... I'd rather have regular updates to current models than this pie in the sky. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 How much? And imagine all the downtime for "security updates". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rperez817 Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Ugh.... I'd rather have regular updates to current models than this pie in the sky. Ford is planning to do both. This will help Ford innovate and stay relevant in the future. Very smart move by Ford to focus on delivery services for the first go live of autonomous cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 Years or decades from now, maybe this utopian society of "never driving", but not "in 2 years". Some see year 2020 as we used to see 2000, a magical future. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe771476 Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 This thread seems the best place to comment that according to the WSJ, a Japanese bank has teamed up with GM and Alphabet/Google is teaming up with Fiat/Chrysler for the next wave of electric and other non-traditionally powered vehicles. Again, Ford is left out in the cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooter Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 (edited) And the lawsuits for personal injury (and negligence by ford for a dangerous product) will occur right about the same time as launch date..bank it Edited June 2, 2018 by snooter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2b2 Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 This thread seems the best place to comment that according to the WSJ, a Japanese bank has teamed up with GM and Alphabet/Google is teaming up with Fiat/Chrysler for the next wave of electric and other non-traditionally powered vehicles. Again, Ford is left out in the cold. but electricity is real artificial intelligence is just a marketing term [lie] if taken as pure dictionary definition, it may NEVER be possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 Put Jim Hackett and Jim Farley in the back seat of Ford's AV and send them out in the traffic alone and see if the car doesn't kill them...either way, it's a win for consumers... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonj80 Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Put Jim Hackett and Jim Farley in the back seat of Ford's AV and send them out in the traffic alone and see if the car doesn't kill them...either way, it's a win for consumers... Unless they just bring Fields back in the "short term" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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