Technology
Ford’s self-driving cars are first to hit Washington D.C. roads
Washington, D.C., is tracking more than politics. As of Monday, the nation’s capital has its first self-driving cars on city streets.
Ford is expanding its autonomous vehicle testing from Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Miami to the D.C. area. But that self-driving Domino’s pizza delivery service is still only in Miami — for now.
With Argo AI, the company will map the city and collect data about driving around the city ahead of a 2021 goal for a commercial self-driving car service.
Ford’s arrival marks an industry-wide expansion from the “usual” testing grounds. The roads of California, Arizona, Texas, Michigan, and Pennsylvania have hosted self-driving cars for years. Ohio, Florida, and other states recently have become new test spots.
In D.C., residents and workers can expect two safety operators in the front seats of different cars including Ford Fusion sedans loaded with sensors and cameras. It’s not a truly driverless experience, but the cars are noticeably self-driving vehicles and marked as Ford test cars.
Ford says it’s starting with “modest” sized fleet and will grow more next year.
In a blog post Monday, Ford Autonomous Vehicles CEO Sherif Marakby said that its Washington, D.C., presence should encourage government acceptance and better policy-making around autonomous vehicles.
“it’s important that lawmakers see self-driving vehicles with their own eyes,” he wrote.
The U.S. Department of Transportation released its latest federal guidance for AVs earlier this month. A bill that would introduce standards for autonomous vehicle testing, the Senate’s AV START Act, is languishing more than a year after the House passed a companion bill.
-
Entertainment7 days ago
What’s on the far side of the moon? Not darkness.
-
Business6 days ago
TikTok faces a ban in the US, Tesla profits drop and healthcare data leaks
-
Business6 days ago
London’s first defense tech hackathon brings Ukraine war closer to the city’s startups
-
Entertainment7 days ago
How to watch ‘The Idea of You’: Release date, streaming deals
-
Entertainment6 days ago
Mark Zuckerberg has found a new sense of style. Why?
-
Business5 days ago
Humanoid robots are learning to fall well
-
Entertainment5 days ago
2024 summer TV preview: 33 TV shows to watch this summer
-
Business4 days ago
Google Gemini: Everything you need to know about the new generative AI platform