Spy Shots Capture Possible Self-Driving F-150!
Is an autonomous F-150 truck on the horizon?
With self-driving technology being the hottest innovation coming out from automakers, the race is on to see who will get actual consumer-friendly autonomous vehicles on the road first. Until now, the focus for Ford has been on Fusion Hybrid sedans. But a photographer in Dearborn, Michigan, home to Ford’s development center, caught this F-150 equipped with self-driving lidar technology.
Unlike the usual spy shots, this F-150 is not decked out in camouflage. Unfortunately it wasn’t captured on the road, but rather parked outside Ford’s testing facility. In addition to the lidar the photos show the rearview mirror modified to likely accommodate sensors, and assorted technology attached to the roof of the truck.
A Ford spokesman confirmed to Fox News that the vehicle does in fact belong to one of its suppliers, however no other details about the truck were given.
Ford has stated that they will have a self-driving car on the road by 2021. While inroads have been made, making a road-ready autonomous pickup requires more work, and will take longer. A company spokesman told Fox News “Trucks have to be capable of operating in a wider variety of situations and use cases than cars, such as towing, hauling and off-road. This will require greater development effort than the autonomous vehicle for commercial operation in mobility services that we’ve promised in 2021. We will only do so when the technology fits customer needs and is affordable.”
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