Ford Boss Says Self-Driving Cars Should Arrive by 2025
Traveling by car could be made as simple programming a destination into a vehicles computer and kicking back reading a book by 2025, according to a recent statement made by Ford boss Bill Ford Jr.
Bill Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford, said that autopilot will become an option for drivers within the next 10 years during a presentation at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
The fact that this technology is in development has not been a secret. Ford has acknowledged other companies, such as Google, that are already working on creating self-driving cars.
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Ford added that he expects that cars will be able to communicate with not only the driver, but other automobiles as well. This will help vehicles take better advantage of the space available on the road which will become more limited in the years to come.
The process of reaching full autopilot will consist of three stages of technology within the automobile industry.
The first stage, which should occur in the next five years, will have cars communicate with other automobiles in order to issue warnings. They will also be able to drive in slow traffic and park themselves.
The next phase, which should occur between 2017 and 2025, will have cars reducing the role of the driver more and more. By this time many automobiles should be semi-autonomous. Ford also described "vehicle platooning," that will allow cars to proceed bumper to bumper through the use of car-mounted sensors. This should improve safety for drivers along with optimizing the space on the road.
Finally, by 2025, cars should be fully autonomous meaning that autopilot will become a reality and drivers could relax while their vehicle takes them to their destination.
