Photo: Ford
After residents of the Miami-Dade County and those of Washington D.C. have gotten used to seeing Ford self-driving cars on their roads, it's now time for the people of Austin, Texas, to do the same.
The Blue Oval will enter the first city in the U.S. to have approved the use of autonomous cars on its public roads through a partnership with Argo AI.
As do most other companies doing research in this field, Ford hopes its autonomous cars would one day prove essential for in-city transportation. But until then, the carmaker is testing AVs as the perfect delivery vehicle for businesses in the area.
In Miami, for instance, a partnership with Walmart and Postmates calls for Ford self-driving cars to act as order picku-up and drop points, taking to preset areas items like groceries, diapers, pet food, and personal care items for those who ordered them to come pick them up.
For now though, Ford first needs to learn a thing or two about Austin.
“As we start mapping roads and testing our self-driving system in Austin, we will also conduct business pilots to see how we can best deploy our vehicles,” Sherif Marakby, Ford Autonomous Vehicles CEO says in a post on Medium.
“As part of our work in the community, we want to engage businesses and community groups about how this new technology can be deployed to help enhance their day-to-day lives.”
To get up to date with the particularities of the city, Ford cars will be driven over the following months for mapping purposes on the main streets. Ford did not say what will happen after that.
Officially, Ford is to join the others in launching a self-driving car by the middle of the next decade, with the target industries being car sharing and delivery.
More detail about Ford's Austin plan can be found at this link.
As do most other companies doing research in this field, Ford hopes its autonomous cars would one day prove essential for in-city transportation. But until then, the carmaker is testing AVs as the perfect delivery vehicle for businesses in the area.
In Miami, for instance, a partnership with Walmart and Postmates calls for Ford self-driving cars to act as order picku-up and drop points, taking to preset areas items like groceries, diapers, pet food, and personal care items for those who ordered them to come pick them up.
For now though, Ford first needs to learn a thing or two about Austin.
“As we start mapping roads and testing our self-driving system in Austin, we will also conduct business pilots to see how we can best deploy our vehicles,” Sherif Marakby, Ford Autonomous Vehicles CEO says in a post on Medium.
“As part of our work in the community, we want to engage businesses and community groups about how this new technology can be deployed to help enhance their day-to-day lives.”
To get up to date with the particularities of the city, Ford cars will be driven over the following months for mapping purposes on the main streets. Ford did not say what will happen after that.
Officially, Ford is to join the others in launching a self-driving car by the middle of the next decade, with the target industries being car sharing and delivery.
More detail about Ford's Austin plan can be found at this link.
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