Ford Developing Fully Driverless Car

By Christina Rogers 

Ford Motor Co. plans to release a fully driverless car without a steering wheel or pedals in the next five years, the latest salvo in a technological arms race engulfing the global auto industry.

The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker on Tuesday said it would initially target ride-sharing fleets and package-delivery services with the unnamed model, underscoring the still-incremental approach many car companies are taking before offering vehicles to consumers that don't require humans to remain engaged behind the wheel.

Ford expects the first of the forthcoming driverless cars to be used by commercial-fleet operators looking to cut the relatively higher costs of employing human drivers, company executives said. The vehicles will be largely confined to cities with pre-mapped zones designed for autonomous vehicles.

Ford separately said Tuesday it had acquired Israeli machine learning firm SAIPS and invested $75 million in Morgan Hill, Calif.-based laser sensor maker Velodyne Inc. Both are aimed at boosting Ford's know-how, with the latter working on sensors to help autonomous cars successfully recognize objects and navigate traffic. Chinese web-service provider Baidu Inc. is investing in Velodyne alongside Ford.

Ford also plans to double the staff at its Silicon Valley office to 260 by the end of 2017, hiring researchers and business-development staff in an effort to expand into new transportation services.

Write to Christina Rogers at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 16, 2016 14:14 ET (18:14 GMT)

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