As Ford Authority reported earlier this month, Ford CEO Jim Farley recently revealed that the automaker had the chance to license Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology years ago, but ultimately, it opted not do so – specifically because it doesn’t utilize Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology. On the same token, Farley praised autonomous commercial vehicle provider Waymo for its extensive use of LiDAR in its robotaxi models, too. Now, another Blue Oval executive has name-dropped that same company as one that Ford may team up with in the future.
“And regarding Level 4 autonomy, we’re being really thoughtful and practical. We’re balancing innovation, capital, and we’re well positioned. In my view, there’s four elements. One, we have a really strong technical leadership team in Doug Field and Sammy Omari. They know the space really well. They know the solutions out there. They have a deep understanding of Waymo’s solution, for example,” Ford Pro CFO Navin Kumar said during a recent appearance at the Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conference.
These comments come on the heels of additional revelations from Farley just last month, when the CEO stated that he’s open to partnering with another company on Level 4 autonomous driving technology, even though the automaker seemingly abandoned it in favor of achieving Level 3 years ago. Waymo certainly seems like a strong potential partner in that regard, for a couple of reasons.
For starters, Waymo is already partnering with Ford rival Toyota on a deal centered around developing and deploying AV technologies that capitalizes on the strengths of each. The idea is to combine Waymo’s autonomous driving expertise with Toyota’s vast experience building vehicles to create AVs that are safe and effective. Additionally, Waymo currently dominates the robotaxi market as a whole, completing over five million autonomous trips thus far in a market that’s expected to grow from a $123.08 billion business in 2024 to $480.09 billion by 2032.
Another potential new business idea.
Not bad considering the E-Series is available exclusively as a cutaway.
Low-interest financing on the heavy-duty pickup truck.
They could claim the credit before taking delivery.
Which could even mimic a home's lighting.
