Are you Ready for a Self Driving Bronco or F-150?

A possible future

One of these days self-driving Ford trucks will be glinting glamorously at your local Ford Store. But instead of fighting traffic to go for a test drive, a well-qualified buyer might have the truck do the test driving for them. Select the model you want online and just relax until it shows up. Climb inside and get comfy. While en route the truck has already accessed your demographic profile, typical daily movements, and internet metadata. Whisking you along a customized scenic route the truck can demonstrate the virtues you are most likely to appreciate. The sound system will summon your favorite playlist, the climate control will adjust to your tastes, and finally, the truck will deliver you to the dealership, softened up and ready to sign on the dotted line. All the salesman needs to do is slap the hood and ask, "How's them apples?!" 

So what's going on?

Ford is one automaker that continues to make history decade after decade. Recently Ford quietly made substantial investments in the field and partnered with Volkswagen to build commercial trucks of the future, including further development of autonomous vehicles. Other companies such as Tesla are hitting the gas, so to speak, to bring the future to market as soon as possible. Elon Musk promises a system sufficiently autonomous that by 2020 drivers will not have to pay attention to the road at all. The SAE refers to this as a Level 5 autonomous vehicle. While Tesla has a well-deserved reputation for over-promising and under-delivering, his comments are a fine example of how the sizzle sells the steak. And shares in the company.  

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Accident in Tempe

But all is not well in Autonomous Vehicle-stan. In 2018 an experimental AV operated by Uber fatally struck a pedestrian walking their bicycle in Tempe, AZ. The conditions were not ideal, and humans make mistakes. According to the NTSB report, contributing factors included an inattentive vehicle operator (watching The Voice on their phone) poor visibility at night (approximately 9:30 PM) and a pedestrian under the influence wandering in the road 360 feet from the nearest crosswalk. This tragedy is clear evidence that the technology in place at the time was inadequate. Those very human circumstances are not going to change much in the future. But the standard of operation for AVs simply must be superior to human skill. Otherwise, technology is pointless. 

>>Join the conversation about Self Driving tech in F-150s right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!

What the system sees

According to news reporting by AZCentral, public response to the events in Tempe included anger and intimidating AV operators. Rocks were thrown, guns were brandished, and a particularly disturbed individual later attempted to force an AV off the road. 6 times. More constructively, an organization called the Human Driving Association was formed to raise awareness of the hazards and proclaim “We Are Pro-Steering Wheel. No vehicle should be deployed without a steering wheel.” So it's fair to say not everybody wants to be an early adopter.

>>Join the conversation about Self Driving tech in F-150s right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!

Autonomous work trucks?

Against this backdrop of reduced expectations, Ford is recalibrating the next step in making history. While Ford remains committed to deploying a driverless car fleet by 2021, those AVs will likely be geofenced, meaning they will operate in defined, relatively simple areas. With serious investments such as a new $900 million AV manufacturing plant in Michigan, a $1 billion investment in Argo AI, and a $4 billion tech unit in Detroit dedicated to research, engineering, and systems integration, Ford is not looking to be the first to market, but the best to market. A major component will be the development of a mobility platform, essentially operating systems and communications protocols outside the vehicle itself that coordinate civic and business uses. This will manage AVs once they arrive in large numbers. Such connectivity and operational cooperation will pave the road for safer AVs in most city, freeway and suburban environments.  

>>Join the conversation about Self Driving tech in F-150s right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!

From shore to shore

Most emphasis on AV research has been in urban and suburban settings for private or commercial use. But research efforts toward taking your future AV Bronco or F-150 off-road are being made in Israel. A small fleet of F-350s are patrolling dangerous and remote areas, and lessons learned there will find their way under the hood of a future civilian Ford. And under the hood will be a far more attractive place to put all that tech than on roofs and beds. 

>>Join the conversation about Self Driving tech in F-150s right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!

More companions than just utilitarian devices

After all the 2020 Ford Trucks will be a good looking family! Take this Bronco for example. Some advanced off-road tech is already here, like Ford's Trail Control. Once the day comes when AVs can be trusted not to go on a rampage we can relax and enjoy the ride to the fishing hole, or spend a day exploring trails by the sound of our voice.

Or *gasp* commuting to work.  

>>Join the conversation about Self Driving tech in F-150s right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!

For help with the service of your truck check out the how-to section of Ford-Trucks.com.