Ford
has revealed Fusion Hybrid automated research vehicles that will be
used to study automated driving and other advanced technologies.
This study will be made in conjunction with the University of Michigan and State Farm.
Described by Ford as the result of an ongoing project that builds on
more than a decade of Ford’s automated driving research, the Fusion
Hybrid automated vehicle will test current and future sensing systems
and driver-assist technologies.
Ford said its goal is to advance development of new technologies with
its supplier partners so these features can be applied to the company’s
next generation of vehicles.
“The Ford Fusion Hybrid automated vehicle represents a vital step
toward our vision for the future of mobility,” said Ford Executive
Chairman Bill Ford. “We see a future of connected cars that communicate
with each other and the world around them to make driving safer, ease
traffic congestion and sustain the environment. By doing this, Ford is
set to have an even greater impact in our next 100 years than we did in
our first 100.”
Today’s Ford vehicles already have technology that enables them to
park themselves, understand a driver’s voice commands, detect dangerous
driving situations and assist with emergency braking. Ford explained
with these technologies and others that one day could allow a person to
be driven to a destination, the driver always will need to be in control
of the wheel if necessary.
“In the future, automated driving may well help us improve driver
safety and manage issues such as traffic congestion and global gridlock,
yet there are still many questions that need to be answered and
explored to make it a long-term reality,” said Raj Nair, group vice
president, Ford global product development. “With the automated Ford
Fusion Hybrid research project, our goal is to test the limits of full
automation and determine the appropriate levels for near- and mid-term
deployment.”
The partners in the study said the automated Fusion Hybrid will serve
as the research platform to develop potential solutions for these
longer-term societal, legislative and technological issues raised by a
future of fully automated vehicles.
Ford added the Fusion Hybrid research vehicle builds on
driver-in-control studies conducted in Ford’s VIRTTEX driving simulator.
Using VIRTTEX, Ford researchers study how to merge the capabilities of
human and automated drivers to create a seamless, integrated experience.
This Ford Fusion Hybrid research vehicle announcement follows an
aggressive plan released this week by Business Leaders for Michigan to
position the state as the global center for mobility and grow up to
100,000 new jobs in its auto sector by becoming a hub for excellence in
advanced powertrain, lightweight and smart/connected transportation
technologies.
Bill Ford is acting as champion of Business Leaders for Michigan’s
mobility initiative; Ford said the plan has been developed with a
coalition of top industry experts, the Center for Automotive Research
and McKinsey & Company. The plan identifies growth strategies for
the auto sector as it transitions to an increasingly advanced
technology-based sector.