Forget just hailing a ride in a self-driving Ford. By sometime around 2025,About Ford will instead sell you an autonomous car.
Speaking in Dearborn, Michigan on Monday, Ford CEO Mark Fields admitted that more than just giving the public access to self-driving cars through ride sharing, the carmaker aims to put them in Ford showrooms. “Around mid-decade we’ll make vehicles available for people to purchase for themselves,” Fields said.
“We’re dedicated to putting autonomous vehicles on the road for millions of people, not just those who can afford luxury cars,” Fields added, according to Bloomberg.
This announcement comes just a month after Ford announced it is planning a self-driving car in 2021. That year, the autonomous Ford, which will come without a steering wheel or pedals, will hit the streets in a ride-sharing model.
At that original announcement, Ford stipulated it could sell the cars to customers once the price of the tech driving the car (like LiDAR sensors, etc.) decreased. Personally, I thought this would take quite a while -- a decade, perhaps. However, it seems Ford's Fields sees prices dropping faster than that.
This is good news for car owners who like to keep their belongings in their car and don't want to share a ride.
That said, I don't expect the prices to come down toofar in four or five years after the car's initial debut. It'll still likely be cheaper to share a self-driving Ford than own one. Still, though, the prospect alone is pretty exciting.
Topics Cars
Google 'Ask for me:' AI that calls businesses on your behalf for pricing and availability
The Roots of a Forgotten Massacre by Julián Herbert
Redux: Summer Surprised Us by The Paris Review
Child influencers in Illinois can now sue their parents
Ms. Frizzle spotted at Science Marches across the globe
18 AI products to boost your productivity in 2024
Limericks from beyond the Rings of Saturn by Anthony Madrid
Redux: Disappointment Is Oily by The Paris Review
How to survive Valentine's Day when you're heartbroken
AI has been quietly enhancing your work life for years
Amazon CEO tries to sell kids on working on the moon
Best BLACK+DECKER deal: Get a vacuum for 27% off
Fun Factory Anniversary Sale: Score 40% off sitewide
A Space for Bette Howland by Honor Moore
Cyrix: Gone But Not Forgotten
eharmony and GLAAD launch new features for LGBTQ users
Instagram is adding music to photo carousels, just like TikTok
The Hidden Harper Lee by Casey N. Cep
Ms. Frizzle spotted at Science Marches across the globe
Feminize Your Canon: Olivia Manning
Court settles debate that’s divided grammar nerds for decadesRestaurant prints proPanama vs. Jamaica 2025 livestream: Watch Concacaf Gold Cup for freeBBC Dad's kids are your new IDGAF heroesPut a lock screen on your phone, sheeple!The internet is not impressed with Barack Obama's March Madness bracketDear Twitter: Please verify me. Love, Julian Assange.John Oliver's hot take on Samsung wasn't shown in India for some reasonUnreal: Blizzard crushes Northeast with up to 42 inches of snowBBC Dad's kids are your new IDGAF heroesTrump's Snoop beef is his latest attempt to distract us from some major issuesA major study just validated the iPhone's potential for medical researchGathering 900 collectibles in 'Zelda' gets you a pile of literal sh*tThis guy is crowdfunding to send politicians a spineA major study just validated the iPhone's potential for medical researchPanama vs. Jamaica 2025 livestream: Watch Concacaf Gold Cup for freeAmy Schumer has a message for the altDonald Trump is killing Meals on Wheels and it's a serious problemWelp, humanity had a good run: Humpback whales organize into mysterious 'superAn insanely venomous snake is currently on the loose in Florida, so that's great The Morning News Roundup for May 2, 2014 What Makes a Literary Trend? The Morning News Roundup for May 20, 2014 An Oral Biography of García Márquez, Part Five An Austrian Town’s Beautiful New Bus Stops Three Angry Women The Other Yellow Pages The Dark Galleries An Oral Biography of García Márquez, Part Three On the Commodification of Literature What Makes a Novel Funny? On Epitaphic Fictions: Ben Franklin, W. B. Yeats The Morning News Roundup for May 8, 2014 The Fight to Save the San Diego Opera David Lynch on Alan Splet The Most Expensive Word in History The Oral Biography of Gabriel García Márquez The Morning News Roundup for April 21, 2014 What You Learn at an Estate Sale From our Archive: “Three Days with Gabo”