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Barron Senior Writer Al Root on Self-Driving Car Technology at ‘Barron Roundtable’
Ford and Lyft will offer self-driving vehicles to rideshare app customers in Miami by the end of 2021.
The two automakers first announced their partnership to bring autonomous vehicles to the ridesharing market in 2017, after Ford invested $ 1 billion in self-driving car startup Argo AI.
“This collaboration marks the first time that all pieces of the autonomous vehicle puzzle have come together in this way,” Lyft co-founder and CEO Logan Green said on Wednesday. “Each company brings the scale, knowledge and capabilities in their area of expertise that are needed to make autonomous ride-hailing a business reality.”
Passenger trips with security drivers in autonomous vehicles will begin in Miami this year and Austin from 2022, according to a press release.
Ford and Lyft plan to deploy 1,000 autonomous vehicles for the ridesharing app in several cities over the next five years.
“We are executing a common vision to improve the safety, access and affordability of transportation in our cities,” said Bryan Salesky, Founder and CEO of Argo AI. “Beyond the link Lyft provides to the customer, we can work together to define where a stand-alone service will benefit communities the most and ensure that we deploy technology securely. “
Ford boasts a “robust” presence in both cities and Washington, DC, including operations supporting the fuel, cleaning and maintenance needs of commercial fleets, the press release said.
Scott Griffith, CEO of Ford’s autonomous vehicles and mobility businesses, said the automaker, Lyft and Argo AI “all share the belief that autonomous vehicles will be a key enabler for a cleaner, safer urban mobility landscape. and more efficient “.
“This is the start of an important relationship between three dynamic companies, ultimately ensuring a great customer experience,” he said.
Lyft’s challenger Uber had also tested self-driving cars in recent years, but sold its autonomous vehicle subsidiary to startup Aurora Technologies in December.
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