Ford is charging ahead in its goal to make a driverless car and will debut an updated version of its Fusion Hybrid development vehicle next month.
Ford says the technology is getting closer to production levels and will debut next-generation updates for its driverless car at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit in early January. Ford has been working on a driverless car for three years and wants to build a high-volume, level 4 fully autonomous car by 2021.
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The new Ford Fusion Hybrid autonomous development cars still use the same platform, but they get new computer hardware that increases the processing power. The cars also get better electrical controls and adjusted sensors that make it easier for them to safely navigate roads and process obstacles.
New LiDAR sensors also have a more integrated design and no longer look like huge antennas on the car’s roof. The sensors are also more advanced, allowing the car to use two instead of four while not sacrificing how much data it sees.
Stay tuned for full coverage of Ford’s driverless car, as will be reporting live from both CES and the Detroit Auto Show in January.
