Ford explains how self-driving vehicles have the potential to be a lot more beneficial than you may think.
When it comes to autonomous driving, Ford is one company that's proving to be ahead of the game.
Last year, we learned that Ford was teaming up with Domino's Pizza to test self-driving vehicles in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The study was mainly to see how customers reacted and interacted with autonomous vehicles.
The cars, however, were not completely autonomous—drivers were still present, but the customer had no interaction with them. Instead, they had to utilize a keypad on the side of the car in order to obtain and complete their order.
Now, Ford us setting out to a different city to test its autonomous vehicle business model.
The manufacturer recently partnered with Argo AI, a company that specializes in autonomous technology. Jim Farley, the Ford Executive Vice President, commented on the partnership: "...we will expand development and testing of the technology that enables a vehicle to drive itself. And, we will conduct more research into the customer experience to help design an all-new, purpose-built self-driving vehicle."
Currently, Ford is partnering with Domino's, Lyft, and Postmates to see how autonomous vehicles can be beneficial to businesses across the spectrum.
"We want all types of businesses and organizations, including non-profit service providers and even individuals, to have equal opportunity to expand and enhance their role in the community," Farley states.
Delivery service businesses are the main target right now. Ford believes that their vehicles would be able to assist with additional duties that may not be possible otherwise. This includes delivering during peak hours or filling more orders.
According to Farley, self-driving models have the capability to totally change the way that cities operate.
In a way, that's true. Autonomous driving does have the potential to be helpful to all for both business and personal use.
It's just a matter of getting self-driving cars to that level. And vice versa, getting drivers comfortable with the idea of driver-less vehicles.
Ford's latest partnership is certainly proving to be a breakthrough in the evolution of autonomous technology.
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