Kyle Campbell reports in the New York Daily News:
Ford has taken things a step further by embedding itself in the smart cities movement and publically committing to a more sustainable future, one that would, apparently, result in it selling fewer vehicles to individuals and more to shared fleets. Ford is committed to developing self-driving cars to alleviate congestion, make roads safer and increase its profitability. If you live in or around a large city, an autonomous Ford might be your main form of transportation. Just don’t expect it to sit in your driveway unless it’s waiting to pick you up
Whether you're terrified, confused or captivated, most people have an opinion about self-driving cars, typically one connected to a visceral emotion. What began as a product of science fiction is now a reality that is just a few years or decades - depending on who you're talking to - away from public availability. In fact, many people have already experienced the technology through human monitored pilot programs. If you're reading this article, there's a good chance you'll have that opportunity, too, but odds are it wont be in a vehicle you own.
Government officials, technologist entrepreneurs and automakers agree that self-driving cars could be the solution to myriad issues faced by 21st century cities. They also, believe it or not, agree that not everyone should own one.
During a panel discussion at the City of Tomorrow Symposium, an event hosted here by the Ford Motor Company, a collection of luminaries from the public, private and academic sectors spoke about the prospects of automation and a common theme was needed for these systems to be shared. Bear in mind, these people were all invited to speak by one of the foremost providers of individually owned vehicles in the world.
Ford is not alone in its pursuit of vehicle automation. General Motors, Nissan, Volkswagen, Tesla and even non-automotive companies such as Google have openly expressed interest in developing the technology.
However, Ford has taken things a step further by embedding itself in the smart cities movement and publically committing to a more sustainable future, one that would, apparently, result in it selling fewer vehicles to individuals and more to shared fleets.
Janette Sadik-Khan, former New York City transportation commissioner during the Bloomberg administration, illustrated the point best by showing three photos next to each other during her remarks at the beginning of the symposium: a group of 60 people next to 60 single-occupancy cars, 60 people next to a bus and 60 people next to 60 bikes to illustrate how much road space each occupied. Then came a photo of 60 people next to 60 autonomous cars—it was the same photo as the first.
Sadik-Khan, overseer of the broad expansion of the city’s bike lanes and creation of pedestrian zones around Time Square and Harold Square, was primarily highlighting the successes of her tenure. But her photos also showed that automation alone does not solve congestion. There needs to be fewer cars on the road.
During her remarks, Sadik-Khan also referred to cars and the traffic they cause in major cities a “public health crisis.” While conventional knowledge might assume Ford would want to refute such an idea, this event speaks to the contrary.
In fact, Ford has already unveiled Chariot, its take on ride sharing and mass transportation, in several cities around the world, including San Francisco and New York.
It’s clear that Ford is committed to developing self-driving cars to alleviate congestion, make roads safer and, of course, increase its profitability. If you live in or around a large city, an autonomous Ford might be your main form of transportation. Just don’t expect it to sit in your driveway unless it’s waiting to pick you up
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