Ford Developing Fully Driverless Car
August 16 2016 - 2:29PM
Dow Jones News
By Christina Rogers
Ford Motor Co. plans to release a fully driverless car without a
steering wheel or pedals in the next five years, the latest salvo
in a technological arms race engulfing the global auto
industry.
The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker on Tuesday said it would
initially target ride-sharing fleets and package-delivery services
with the unnamed model, underscoring the still-incremental approach
many car companies are taking before offering vehicles to consumers
that don't require humans to remain engaged behind the wheel.
Ford expects the first of the forthcoming driverless cars to be
used by commercial-fleet operators looking to cut the relatively
higher costs of employing human drivers, company executives said.
The vehicles will be largely confined to cities with pre-mapped
zones designed for autonomous vehicles.
Ford separately said Tuesday it had acquired Israeli machine
learning firm SAIPS and invested $75 million in Morgan Hill,
Calif.-based laser sensor maker Velodyne Inc. Both are aimed at
boosting Ford's know-how, with the latter working on sensors to
help autonomous cars successfully recognize objects and navigate
traffic. Chinese web-service provider Baidu Inc. is investing in
Velodyne alongside Ford.
Ford also plans to double the staff at its Silicon Valley office
to 260 by the end of 2017, hiring researchers and
business-development staff in an effort to expand into new
transportation services.
Write to Christina Rogers at christina.rogers@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 16, 2016 14:14 ET (18:14 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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