Ford to Test Autonomous Vehicles on California Roads

Ford’s self-driving test cars will hit the streets of California, as the company has received a permit to test on public roads starting in 2016 as part of the California Autonomous Vehicle Tester Program.

Last month, Ford began testing its autonomous vehicles at University of Michigan’s Mcity, a 32-acre facility where automakers can safely test autonomous technology in a simulated real-world environment. The automaker employed the use of the Ford Fusion Hybrid as its test vehicle, which will carry over into these real-world trials.

Ford’s Research and Innovation Center Palo Alto grows further with the involvement in the on-road test program, building on 10 years of autonomous vehicle development. What started out as a 15-person office is now a fully functional research and development center with over 100 researchers, engineers, and scientists.

“Having a strong presence in Silicon Valley allows us to further accelerate our research on a wide range of technologies, and our insights to create real-world mobility solutions,” said Ken Washington, Ford vice president, Research and Advanced Engineering, in a release.

At the expanded facility, Ford’s team will continue to study autonomous vehicle virtual test drives in conjunction with the actual street drives and further develop its sensors on the autonomous vehicles to better detect and track objects.

Source: Ford

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