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Ford's self-driving cars to launch 'at scale'

Ford seems determined to meet its 2021 deadline to launch a service in the United States using its self-driving cars. This won't be a small test operation in a single city, it wants to launch and operate its own service “at scale,” with all the necessary components in place to ensure it’s both efficient and profitable.
Posted on 16 April, 2018
Ford's self-driving cars to launch 'at scale'

Ford's Jim Farley recently told the Financial Times in an interview that the automaker's self-driving car network will be running "at scale" in 2021. Farley also emphasised that this would be a truly Ford-run service. While Ford does have self-driving car partnerships with companies like Lyft, it intends to "own the fleet" for its own services. That's somewhat similar to Renault-Nissan, but a sharp contrast with Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo and others focused on selling vehicles to outside services. The company's own efforts are focused more on delivery than on passengers. However, it's not entirely surprising that the company would push for a large, in-house driverless network. Sherif Marakby, Ford’s vice president of autonomous vehicles and electrification, said that his company is developing its very first “autonomous vehicle operations terminal” to maintain and securely house its vehicles. The site, located a short distance from downtown Miami, is set to include facilities to wash the vehicles, including their all-important sensors, with routine maintenance also carried out. To help drive its autonomous-vehicle ambitions, Ford last year invested US$1 billion in artificial intelligence company, Argo A.I.