Ford News: Ford's Head of Research Says It Will Be Sometime Before Consumers Can Buy Autonomous Vehicles

[William Maley]

Ford is looking to make big strides in autonomous vehicles. Last year, CEO Mark Fields said that by 2021, the automaker would have a Level 4 self-driving vehicle (minus the steering wheel and pedals for the gas and brake) for ride sharing services. Then Fields said the Blue Oval would offer self-driving vehicles to consumers by around 2025. However, Ford's vice president of research and advanced engineering has put the brakes on this slightly, saying it might be closer to ten years after that first fleet implementation.

“It’s really hard to guess and predict the pace of the technology. Our current view is the adoption rates will be relatively gradual,” said Ken Washington at a keynote address for the SAE WCX World Congress Experience.

That doesn't mean that Washington believes self-driving cars will not to come to fruition for consumers, it will take a little bit longer for it to happen.

“This is not science fiction. This is not a research project. This is something we’re going to make happen, and others will, too.”

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

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