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Customer LoginsCES 2017, Detroit Motor Show 2017: Ford to reveal updated Fusion autonomous test car, expand test fleet
Ford's development of its autonomous vehicle programme is taking a significant step forward as the company works towards launching a high-volume autonomous vehicle in 2021.
IHS Markit perspective
- Significance: Ford has announced that it will display an updated version of its Ford Fusion Hybrid autonomous vehicle at both the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), both in January 2017. The company is expanding its test fleet by 20 vehicles on the new platform immediately and is scheduled to expand the fleet to 90 vehicles later in 2017. Ford has 10 autonomous Fusions in its fleet.
- Implications: Ford has set a high target and stated that it intends to develop an autonomous product targeted at ride-hailing use before offering one for private use. However, the company's announcement also comes amid a six-month flurry of autonomous project announcements from other automakers and Uber.
- Outlook: The race is on for getting the first autonomous vehicle developed and in production. Ford's announcement at CES and NAIAS is an opportunity for the company to communicate its progress. Among the interesting technical steps forward is that the new Fusion Hybrid autonomous vehicle platform uses smaller LiDAR sensors that gather more data, enabling the system to use two instead of four sensors.
Ford has announced that its presence at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) will include an updated version of its Ford Fusion hybrid autonomous vehicle, as well as announcing an expansion of its test fleet size. CES is being held during 3-6 January in Las Vegas (Nevada, United States), while the media and industry portion of NAIAS begins on 9 January in Detroit, Michigan.
The updated autonomous vehicle platform and the virtual driver system are evolved from prior Ford Fusion autonomous test cars that Ford has shown, with 20 new cars equipped with the updated system having been added to the test fleet. Ford also indicated that it will grow its test fleet to 90 vehicles in 2017.
The new Fusion Hybrid vehicles have new LiDAR sensors with a "sleeker design and more targeted field of vision", enabling more data from two sensors than in the prior car, as well as an increase in the computing power onboard. In a blog post, Chris Brewer, chief programme engineer for Ford's autonomous vehicle development, said the latest iteration is based on the existing Ford autonomous vehicle platform, but with electrical controls closer to production-ready and adjustments to the sensor technology, including the updated LiDAR. Brewer also said that Ford's virtual driver system includes the sensors (LiDAR, camera, and radar), algorithms for localisation and path planning, computer vision and machine learning, highly detailed 3D maps, and the computational and electronics horsepower to make it all work.
The virtual driver system uses both mediated and direct perception. The mediated perception, according to Brewer, uses the high-resolution 3D maps of where the car will be and then uses its sensors to mediate what it sees against the 3D map to precisely locate the vehicle's position on the road and to identify and understand what is around it. Ford's mediated system also includes the system and data that give it the rules of the road. Direct perception uses the sensors to see the vehicle's position on the road as well as the dynamic entities: pedestrians, cyclists, and other cars. Ford's latest sensors are capable of helping to interpret hand signals from a police officer directing traffic and the direct perception system requires more sophisticated software and computing power, Brewer said. Exterior sensors on the updated car includes two hockey-puck-sized LiDAR sensors on the car's front pillars that provide a 360° view, with a sensing range of about 200 m. The car also takes three cameras mounted on two roof racks on the roof, as well as a forward-facing camera under the windshield. The new version of Fusion autonomous platform also uses short- and long-range radar sensors. In terms of computing power, the autonomous vehicle's brain is in the trunk, generating 1 terabyte of data per hour. Ford has developed its virtual driver software and algorithms, the programme that makes decisions on driving behaviour, in-house.
Brewer notes that Ford has "tweaked" the Hybrid's software and hardware to ensure mechanical systems perform as directed by the electrical commands. A clever solution to the traditional Fusion's lack of enough electrical power to support the autonomous vehicle's computing processes is to use the Hybrid's high-voltage battery pack and to add a second, independent power converter to create two sources of power and maintain system robustness.
While the Fusion Hybrid autonomous test fleet still has a steering wheel, accelerator, and brake pedals, Brewer said that Ford's ride-hailing car "ultimately" will not have these elements.
Outlook and implications
The race is on for getting the first autonomous vehicle developed and in production. Ford's announcement at CES and NAIAS is an opportunity for the company to communicate its progress. Among the interesting technical steps is that the new Fusion Hybrid autonomous vehicle platform uses smaller LiDAR sensors that gather more data, enabling the system to use two instead of four sensors and for them to apparently be better integrated with the vehicle.
Ford Motor Company in 2016 announced its intent to launch a high-volume SAE L4 autonomous ride-sharing product by 2021, with the CES and NAIAS announcements of the updated Fusion autonomous vehicle reminders that the company is on track for that target. These announcements also counter autonomous, mobility, and connected-vehicle announcements other automakers and suppliers are expected to share at the two major January shows, as well as the myriad announcements rolling in over the final months of 2016. IHS Automotive expects the CES event to be rich with evolutions of user experience developments, many from suppliers, as well as concepts from Toyota and Honda as well.
The news about the Ford Fusion Hybrid improvements will also run against the display of the FCA and Waymo integration of autonomous vehicle technology into a Chrysler Pacifica hybrid. While the Waymo Pacifica may be on display at the Chrysler booth, the formal reveal of the car is expected to occur in conjunction with Waymo chief executive John Krafcik's keynote address.
About this article
The above article is from IHS Automotive Same-Day Analysis of automotive news, events and trends, and is a deliverable of the World Markets Automotive Service. The service averages thirty stories per day and also provides competitor and country intelligence. Get a free trial.