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Mobileye helping Ford reach their autonomy goals
Written by Kfir Kedem - August 05, 2020
Edited by Asaf Kedem
Another long-term partnership is taking place between a big-name automotive manufacturer and a technology company. Auto Trendy first reported on the phenomenon when Daimler announced their long-term partnership with NVIDIA. Shortly after Daimler’s press release, Ford announced a multi-year partnership with Mobileye.
Mobileye is an Israeli company that is owned by Intel. They develop and produce (currently lower) level autonomous driving technologies. So far, they sell a device that upgrades vehicles to Level 1 autonomous. This means that these vehicles aid the driver by giving collision warnings, automatically braking in emergencies, and automatically turning on the high beam headlights when necessary.
Ford’s new lineup will have Mobileye’s systems equipped and the partnership deal stands for the lineup’s entire lifecycle. This partnership will result in Ford’s vehicles being Level 2 autonomous with assist in steering, accelerating, and braking.
When Amnon Shashua, Mobileye’s CEO was asked about the future of autonomous vehicles, he gave out a clear indication of the timeline that is to be expected. According to him, by 2022 robotaxis will be released. These are fully autonomous vehicles that are used for ridesharing or ride-hailing and are owned by an operator. Those who want to own their own autonomous car can expect to be able to buy one by 2025 as Shashua predicts that all the necessary regulations will be devised by then.
Auto Trendy’s take:
Unlike Daimler’s partnership with NVIDIA, which was partly made for an improved infotainment system, Ford’s partnership with Mobileye is fully aimed towards developing safe autonomous cars. This will be beneficial for Ford as it will allow them to test out autonomous technologies and collaborate on the development of higher level autonomy. Whether we’ll see robotaxis by 2022 or not, only time will tell, but it will definitely benefit Ford to be the company who is able to provide such vehicles in North America when the legislation allows for its release.
