Ford ahead of Waymo and Uber

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Ford Ahead of Waymo and Uber in self Driving cars

Michigan-based Ford is leading the pack, closely followed by GM and the Renault-Nissan Alliance, according to a report released Monday by clean tech market research firm Navigant Research. Google’s Waymo ranks seventh out of the 18 companies examined, and Tesla and Uber don’t even crack the top 10 — coming in at 12th and 16th, respectively.

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“Automated driving is increasingly being considered the key technology to address societal problems caused by the proliferation of automobiles around the world,” wrote the researchers, who graded companies on factors including their vision, go-to market strategy, technology and staying power. “It has accelerated in the last decade, enabled by advancements in computational architectures and sensing technology, along with dramatic cost reductions.”

USA Today

Ford Motor is in pole position when it comes to benefiting from the coming age of autonomous vehicles.

That's the conclusion of a study released Monday by Navigant Research, which sells its in-depth surveys of energy and transportation markets to suppliers, policymakers and other industry stakeholders.

The Dearborn-based automaker took the top spot by demonstrating that it has the strategic vision and execution capabilities to both develop automated driving systems as well as deploy them across a range of mobility platforms.


Drive.com

The following group included the Volkswagen Group , BMW, Waymo - owned by Google's parent Alphabet - and Volvo.

Ford was ranked the highest due to its advanced on-road testing programs in Michigan, California and Arizona. Ford has also announced plans to expand its testing to Europe in 2017.

This emerging technology has infiltrated safety technology systems such as Ford's new Evasive Steering Assist, which is capable of helping drivers steer around slow or stopped vehicles through the use of radar and camera detection.

The American car maker has set itself a target of 2021 for when it wants a fully autonomous vehicle on the road, with ride-sharing its initial focus.

General Motor is employing the same strategy, and has teamed up with ride-sharing company Lyft to test thousands of driverless Chevrolet Bolts around the US in 2018, however, initially GM is testing a fleet of 40 cars in California and Arizona with a plan to extend to Michigan.