Ford has finally made its move.
After months of listening to Wall Street analysts gnash their collective teeth about the company?s lack of acquisitions and partnerships related to self-driving technology, the Detroit automaker unleashed a series of announcements Tuesday related to its efforts to develop and deploy autonomous vehicles in an increasingly competitive field.
Chief among them: Ford CEO Mark Fields told a group gathered at the company?s Silicon Valley research facility that Ford intends to produce fully autonomous cars for ride-hailing and ride-sharing operations by 2021. The vehicles will be manufactured in high-volume production and will be tailored for these operations, meaning they won?t contain steering wheels, brake pedals, or other controls for human occupants. ?Autonomous vehicles are going to open up opportunities for the elderly, people with disabilities, and people not old enough to drive themselves,? Fields said. ?So we?re designing the first generation of autonomous vehicles specifically to be used for ride-hailing and ride-sharing, which is another seismic shift in the transportation landscape.?
The five-year timeline for the arrival of autonomous technology falls in line with projections from competitors. Ford says its autonomous vehicles could support electric batteries, but it won?t divulge further powertrain details until closer to the launch date. The company currently operates a test fleet of hybrid Ford Fusions in Michigan, California, and A...