Skip to main content

Ford’s fleet of autonomous test cars gets bigger, smarter

Ford Fusion Hybrid autonomous research vehicles
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Ford plans to eventually put a fully-autonomous car on sale, and at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), it announced another step in that direction. The Blue Oval says it will expand its fleet of autonomous test cars, conduct more testing, and add better hardware. Ford wouldn’t discuss a much-rumored partnership with Google, although that could still be in the works.

The company unveiled its first self-driving Fusion Hybrid prototype in 2013, and recently announced plans to test similar cars on public roads in California, and at the Mcity simulated city operated by the University of Michigan. Fusion Hybrids will become a more common sight in both locales, as Ford plans to add 20 cars, bringing the total fleet to about 30 vehicles. Ford says this is the most of any carmaker.

Recommended Videos

These cars will use Velodyne’s new Solid-State Hybrid Ultra Puck lidar sensor. Named for its hockey puck-like size and shape, the Ultra Puck is lighter and more compact than previous lidar units from Velodyne, which has been supplying autonomous-car researchers for years. Ford says the Ultra Puck is small enough to be mounted on a car’s sideview mirror, greatly streamlining packaging.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Lidar, which emits pulses of light instead of the radio waves used by radar, has become a critical component in the battery of sensors that allow self-driving cars to see their surroundings. Spinning lidar units of various sizes can be seen mounted on the roofs and other areas of many autonomous prototypes. Reducing the size of this equipment will make integrating autonomous features easier.

At CES, Ford reiterated a previously-stated goal of building a car that can drive itself with no human intervention. At the company’s press conference, Ford CEO Mark Fields added that this car may be developed for use in a car-sharing or ride-sharing service. He claimed the entire auto industry is worth $2.3 trillion today, while car-sharing companies, taxi companies, and other mobility services (not all of them automotive) are worth $5.4 trillion. Ford wants a piece of that action.

What Fields didn’t touch on was a rumored partnership with Google. The possibility of a joint Ford-Google announcement at CES was first reported about two weeks ago, but Fields would not confirm whether Ford is working with the search giant, which of course has considerable experience with self-driving cars.

Updated 11/12/16 

A report released this week claims Ford may work with Google to develop a separate business unit for autonomous. The carmaker is still in talks with Google, according to The Wall Street Journal, and may also create a separate business unit to develop autonomous cars specifically for ride-sharing services and fleets. The arrangement would see Ford develop software and hardware relevant to the vehicles itself, while Google would apply its autonomous-drive control software, the report said.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Aska’s ludicrous SUV-sized flying car gets closer to reality at CES 2023
The Aska A5 flying car drives across a bridge with its rotor arms folded up for storage.

In a field of high-tech cars as crowded as CES 2023, it takes a lot to stand out, but the Aska A5 does one trick not even the wildest Mercedes can compete with: It flies.

On Wednesday, the Silicon Valley upstart unveiled the first fully functional prototype of the A5, an electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) that the company claims will hit both roads and skies in 2026. Previously, it has only demonstrated a small-scale prototype.

Read more
Ford and VW close down Argo AI autonomous car unit
An Argo AI autonomous car on the road.

Autonomous-car specialist Argo AI is closing down after Ford and Volkswagen, Argo's main backers, ended support for the Pittsburgh-based company.

First reported by TechCrunch and later confirmed by the two auto giants, some of the 2,000 workers at Argo will transfer to Ford and Volkswagen, while others without an offer will receive a severance package. Argo’s technology is also set to end up in the possession of the two companies, though at this stage it’s not clear how it might be shared.

Read more
Ex-Apple employee pleads guilty to nabbing Apple Car secrets
The Apple logo is displayed at the Apple Store June 17, 2015 on Fifth Avenue in New York City

A former Apple employee on Monday pled guilty to the theft of trade secrets from the tech firm.

The material stolen by Xiaolang Zhang was linked to Apple’s work on its first-ever automobile, a project that’s been in and out of the headlines for years though never officially confirmed by the company.

Read more