Key features of Ford's plans for a fleet of shared autonomous vehicles potentially telegraph how the first wave of at-scale adoption will take place.
Details are emerging about Ford Motor Company's plans for an autonomous vehicle fleet expected for delivery in 2021. Jim Farley, Ford's executive vice president and president of global markets, recently gave new details to the Financial Times (paywall), and it looks like Ford is thinking big for 2021.
Jon Fingas shares the details of that interview and what's already know about the company's autonomous vehicle plans. Fingas seems especially interested in the idea that Ford will be operating its own fleet of driverless cars—not partnering with Lyft or some other operator.
Farley also stressed that this would be a truly Ford-run service. While Ford does have self-driving car partnerships with companies like Lyft, it intends to "own the fleet" for its own services. That's somewhat similar to Renault-Nissan, but a sharp contrast with Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo and others focused on selling vehicles to outside services.
Also of note to planners: According to Fingas, Ford is preparing for a decline in vehicle ownership. "Its leadership has repeatedly talked about preparing for the decline of car ownership, and that means a shift toward services (such as its on-demand commuter vans) instead of pure car sales."
FULL STORY: Ford's self-driving car network will launch 'at scale' in 2021
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