When and from whom will there be self-driving cars?

Ford

Elsewhere in Detroit, Ford’s plan for self-driving cars is moving so smoothly, Navigant ranked them number one. Obviously, Ford knows how to efficiently make and market cars. As for the technology – those who can’t do, buy. The investments are panning out, if Ford’s second generation test car is to be believed.

After investing in artificial intelligence (Argo AI) and laser scanning technology (good ol’ LIDAR, by way of Velodyne), Ford reported that the second-gen car can “see” two football fields in either direction and generate one terabyte of data per hour. Cameras are also strategically placed to make the car look passably like a typical Ford Fusion. The test fleet – currently 30 cars, but expected to expand to 90 this year – is testing in California, Arizona and Michigan.

Where does it rank? 1st. Technology is the only low score and Ford is actively investing to bring that up to Silicon Valley levels.

When can you ride? 2021. Like GM, Ford’s fully autonomous car is intended for ride-sharing or ride-hailing use. With the release of the second-gen model, Ford announced they are on track to hit their 2021 target.