Ford To Start Autonomous Car Testing In Europe In 2017

“We have already announced plans to use an autonomous vehicle for a ride-sharing service in the US in 2021.”

By Sreejith

Published: Monday, December 5, 2016, 10:26 [IST]

American automaker Ford will start conducting tests of its autonomous cars on European roads in 2017. This year, it had tripled its U.S. fleet of autonomous Fusion Hybrids. Currently, the company is testing its self-driving vehicles in a number of locations across the U.S.

Ford To Start Autonomous Car Testing In Europe In 2017

The automaker's main goal is to achieve level four with on the SAE ( Society of Automotive Engineers) scale, which is only one step away from fully autonomous driving.

Thomas Lukaszewicz, Ford Europe's autonomous driving manager told Autocar, "We have already announced plans to use an autonomous vehicle for a ride-sharing service in the US in 2021 and it is important that we extend our testing to Europe. Rules of the road vary from country to country here, traffic signs and road layouts are different and drivers are likely to share congested roads with cyclists."

The Blue Oval (an independent website devoted to news, commentary, and speculation about Ford Motor Company) will triple its fleet again in 2017. This will make the automaker the global leader in connectivity, mobility and autonomous vehicles.

Lukaszewicz also said that to operate autonomous vehicles will be quite a challenge in Europe. Because of the varying traffic conditions from one country to another in Europe, which poses a challenge for autonomous technology.