Ford Motor Co. has announced recently that it’s investing heavily in the self-driving technology. In order to achieve the company’s goal, Ford is launching a startup that will focus only on the autonomous driving system.
According to news reports, Ford is investing $1 billion in the future of the self-driving car. This decision is part of a continuing investment strategy that will turn Ford into a company fully engaged in the mobility world. As a result, Ford may soon be a household name in the ride-sharing, ride-hailing, and even in the bicycle rental world.
The company wants to launch its fully driverless fleet of cars in five years. With the launch of this new company, the goal may be achievable. Counting with the help of former executives from Uber and Google, this new company will become a subsidiary of Ford once the automaker is a majority shareholder.
Leading the team will be a group of robotics experts and engineers working around the clock to develop a software platform that should be put in use in the next few years, helping the company to meet its 2021 goals.
This piece of news is important to our readers and clients because the self-driving technology has been thought out as a means to ensure drivers are not exposing themselves to any major dangers. Because human error is nearly always present whenever there is an auto crash, the presence of a self-driving mechanism designed to overcome these mistakes could make auto crashes a rarity. But until this technology is fool-proof, companies like the startup associated with Ford will have to work hard to prove their systems are safe. Otherwise, we might be having to deal with a new class of auto accidents and liability in the future. After all, if the system fails and a crash occurs, should the company or the driver who purchased the self-driving car to blame?
Until these questions can be answered, we can only hope that the technology will be developed fast and securely.
For more on what Ford is hoping to accomplish, click here.
