Ford Tests Driverless Cars In California
Ford Motors Company is examining its autonomous vehicles on roads of California.
Ford should become a part of the growing list of automotive companies fielding driverless automobiles on the West Coast. Under the California Autonomous Vehicle Testing Program, the Michigan-based organization has attained a license to introduce autonomous vehicle on public roads. Officials of the company state that a Ford Fusion Hybrid is currently being examined in a closed-course environment in the Palo Alto area.
Ford news reported that now a small fleet of 2016 Fusions would come to California and start driving around the streets of San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The Fusion, when it comes out on the road, would be accommodating only one driver, who would monitor the operating controls, and one expert of systems, who would test the sensors of car, stated founder of Ford's autonomous vehicle program, James McBride.
The company expects to ultimately bring forward a "Level 4" driverless vehicle, James stated, one that depends on no driver input, even in case of emergencies. "We've always taken the approach that we want the car to be able to handle any scenario a human would, and not suddenly throw the driving back into the lap of the driver" when driving becomes difficult, James stated.
Before the autonomous Fusions are rolled out, James stated, groups of engineering experts should first design routes and develop extremely thorough maps. Fusions currently examined in Arizona and Michigan have utilized radar and 360-degree camera to “see” a larger part of the road, than any driver could.
Bringing such a vehicle onto the road already mapped in this manner would make it convenient for the automobile to know when an unwelcome event occurs – a box moving out a truck, for instance, or a blown tire piece lying in the streets.
Automobile manufacturers that have succeeded in receiving permits include Honda, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen. Google has employed its permit to run a bubble shaped driverless car around the Bay area.
The Fusion is not the only first forward-looking Ford on the ground in Silicon Valley. The company is now having more than 100 engineering experts, researchers, and scientists working at its Research and Innovation Center based in Pal Alto.
Gartner's vice president and automotive practice leader, Thilo Koslowski, stated, "They have to. They have to make sure their cars are relevant, going forward. The cars have to be safer, just like they have to be more fuel efficient. All the car companies are looking at the entire spectrum, including fully autonomous cars."
The company stated the new vehicles would be on the roads of the Silicon Valley sometime in the earlier part of 2015.
