Next-Gen Ford Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Development Vehicle Hits the Streets

Ford is committed to building a high-volume, fully autonomous SAE level 4-capable vehicle by 2021, and this month sees the release of an important next step towards that goal. The next-generation Fusion Hybrid autonomous development vehicle just debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. With a new “brain” in the trunk and a more streamlined sensor array, the new vehicle is proof that Ford’s target is firmly within reach.

The updated Fusion Hybrid autonomous development vehicle evolves both of the main elements integral to creating a fully self-driving vehicle: the autonomous vehicle platform and the virtual driver system. The first element is enhanced by the aforementioned new “brain.” “[The] equivalent of several high-end computers generate 1 terabyte of data an hour — more than the average person would use in mobile-phone data in 45 years,” explains Chris Brewer, Chief Program Engineer of Ford Autonomous Vehicle Development, in a Medium post.

The virtual driver system is what allows the vehicle to perform as a human driver would behind the wheel without any driver interaction. In the new Fusion Hybrid research vehicle, this system has evolved thanks to a reduction in the number of Light Detection and Radar Sensors (LiDAR sensors), which allows for a more targeted field of vision while still taking in just as much data.

What’s next for Ford? Testing, testing, testing. “An expanded fleet is accelerating our real-world testing already taking place on the roads in Michigan, California and Arizona,” says Brewer. “We plan to grow the fleet even more, tripling its size to about 90 cars in [2017].” Ford engineers are also hard at work thinking through the essential user experience aspect of an autonomous ride-sharing or ride-hailing vehicle.

The future of driving is coming sooner than you think, and Ford is at the forefront of the revolution. You can see the automaker’s wide array of current technologies on display in our new inventory at Lynch Ford Chevrolet. 

Image Credit: Ford