Throughout its years-long push to develop autonomous vehicles, Ford has tested its self-driving technology along city streets in Pittsburgh, during blinding snowstorms in Michigan, and through blistering temperatures in Arizona. When it comes to testing the business models that Ford thinks self-driving cars will support, rather than the underlying technology itself, company executives knew they needed a new venue. Ford has chosen Miami to serve as that proving ground, company officials said Tuesday.
Earlier this month, Ford started testing self-driving delivery services in the city, an extension of its ongoing partnership with Domino?s Pizza. Further tests will soon begin with Postmates, a logistics and delivery company. Far from one-off ventures, these Miami tests signal Ford?s intent to commit to the city over the long term. The testing will serve as a prelude to the launch of self-driving services, which the company projects will come to market in 2021, starting with Miami as the first U.S. city for commercial operations. Already Ford has started building a maintenance depot in the Wynwood section of Miami that will serve as a dispatch center and hub of operations. Ford isn?t saying how many self-driving vehicles it will run in the city, but Sherif Marakby, the company?s vice president of autonomous vehicles and electrification, said he expects ?month over month? growth in the fleet. For starters, there will be two separate fleets operating. One, run by Argo AI, a Pit...