cars news 10: Ford to Offer Autonomous Cars Without Steering Wheel, Pedals by 2021

Ford will offer fully autonomous vehicles in high volumes by 2021, the automaker announced today in Palo Alto, Calif. The autonomous cars, specifically designed for ride sharing services, will not include a steering wheel or pedals.

“We’re dedicated to putting on the road an autonomous vehicle that can improve safety and solve social and environmental challenges for millions of people – not just those who can afford luxury vehicles,” Ford President and CEO Mark Fields said. Because the technology would prove expensive for individual consumers, the automaker doesn’t see fully autonomous cars for personal use arriving until several years after self-driving cars for hire.

To make its vision possible, Ford is partnering with a variety of tech companies to work on advanced algorithms, 3D mapping, LiDAR, and radar and camera sensors for autonomous vehicles. Ford is also planning a major expansion of its Research and Innovation Center in Palo Alto, adding two new buildings and 150,000 square feet of work space. By 2017, Ford hopes to double the size of its Palo Alto team, which now consists of about 150 researchers.

Ford is far from the only company that envisions ride sharing as a way to introduce autonomous cars to the public. General Motors and Lyft have paired up for this express purpose, while Uber is also interested in developing autonomous cars. Uber recently tested its autonomous technology on a Ford Fusion Hybrid on the streets of Pittsburg.

Many automakers have expressed caution about bringing out autonomous cars without steering wheels, brakes, or accelerator pedals. GM CEO Mary Barra recently said self-driving cars should have these functions while the technology develops. But not too long ago, Google revealed it was making autonomous car prototypes without a wheel or pedals.

Ford envisions its autonomous vehicles will achieve a level 4 autonomy rating as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers. This is one step below level 5, which offers complete autonomy in every conceivable driving situation. Still, the move represents a huge step up from current systems like Tesla’s Autopilot, which is almost, but not quite at level 3 as we’ve noted. Ford hinted it’s uncomfortable with introducing level 3 cars because it requires handing back control from the vehicle to the driver.

So what would Ford’s autonomous vehicle look like? Motor Trend‘s Testing Director Kim Reynolds was at the press event to get the scoop. After some probing, a Ford employee speculated to us that it could potentially take the form of a hybrid van. The van could come equipped with a large battery to satisfy the high energy demands of autonomous system computing. Considering the van would need to move lots of people quickly, it’s less likely to have a fully electric system that would require frequent charging.

Kim Reynolds contributed to this story.