Key features of Ford's plans for a fleet of shared autonomous vehicles potentially telegraph how the first wave of at-scale adoption will take place.
Details are emerging about Ford Motor Company's plans for an autonomous vehicle fleet expected for delivery in 2021. Jim Farley, Ford's executive vice president and president of global markets, recently gave new details to the Financial Times (paywall), and it looks like Ford is thinking big for 2021.
Jon Fingas shares the details of that interview and what's already know about the company's autonomous vehicle plans. Fingas seems especially interested in the idea that Ford will be operating its own fleet of driverless cars—not partnering with Lyft or some other operator.
Farley also stressed that this would be a truly Ford-run service. While Ford does have self-driving car partnerships with companies like Lyft, it intends to "own the fleet" for its own services. That's somewhat similar to Renault-Nissan, but a sharp contrast with Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo and others focused on selling vehicles to outside services.
Also of note to planners: According to Fingas, Ford is preparing for a decline in vehicle ownership. "Its leadership has repeatedly talked about preparing for the decline of car ownership, and that means a shift toward services (such as its on-demand commuter vans) instead of pure car sales."
FULL STORY: Ford's self-driving car network will launch 'at scale' in 2021
The Ethics of Autonomous Car Testing
In the wake of multiple fatal crashes involving Tesla's self-driving mode, ethicists suggest the need for a robust set of regulations governing the testing of AVs before more of them hit the road.
TEDx: How Will Autonomous Vehicles Transform Cities?
Nico Larco presents a TEDx Talk on the impacts AVs will have on cities, including impacts on land use, land valuation, and the environment. AVs are more than just a transportation issue, and planners need to prepare for the coming changes.
Self-Driving Cars Hog Power
Self-driving cars process a tremendous amount of data to pilot themselves through crowded streets. That computing power needs electricity, and lots of it.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association