Tesla – Page 2254 – I wish I had more to offer

Chinese EV startup Byton to suspend production for reorganization – Automotive News Europe

SHANGHAI — China-based electric car startup Byton said on Tuesday it will suspend production from July 1 to conduct a reorganization of the automaker after being hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The company, which is backed by state-owned automaker FAW Group and battery supplier Contemporary Amperex Technology, said it was also actively raising funds to… Continue reading Chinese EV startup Byton to suspend production for reorganization – Automotive News Europe

Daimler-backed Momenta says its robotaxis will be fully driverless and profitable in 2024

In China and the U.S., there’s much debate about when and how humans will achieve fully autonomous robotaxis at scale — cars that chauffeur passengers under complex road conditions without safety drivers behind the wheel. Many pieces are needed to make this happen: mammoth amounts of test data, advanced algorithms, strong operational teams, big checks… Continue reading Daimler-backed Momenta says its robotaxis will be fully driverless and profitable in 2024

Tesla spotted testing prototype with new array of sensors

Tesla has been spotted testing what could be a new array of sensors for Autopilot on a Model S test mule vehicle. Back in 2016, Tesla introduced a new Autopilot sensor suite consisting of cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors: “Eight surround cameras provide 360 degrees of visibility around the car at up to 250 meters… Continue reading Tesla spotted testing prototype with new array of sensors

Inside the industry: car makers and retailers have a love-hate relationship

There’s a saying that business without tension isn’t really business, the implication being that if you’re not fighting someone, capitalism is about to gobble you up for being too nice. Just as well, then, that, even by the standards of the most dysfunctional families, the relationship between car makers and car retailers remains fraught –… Continue reading Inside the industry: car makers and retailers have a love-hate relationship

Ford Launching Its Own Driver-Assist System To Compete With Tesla Autopilot (Sort Of)

Tesla News
EV News
Solar News
Electric Car Benefits
Electric Car Sales
Contact
Privacy Policy
Invest
Advertise
RSS

Autonomous Vehicles

Published on June 18th, 2020 |

by Johnna Crider

Ford Launching Its Own Driver-Assist System To Compete With Tesla Autopilot (Sort Of)

Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook

June 18th, 2020 by Johnna Crider

CNBC just reported that Ford is trying to compete with Tesla and GM by launching its own driver-assist system to compete with Tesla’s Autopilot and GM’s Super Cruise. Sort of. It’s called “Active Drive Assist” and will be able to control three major aspects of its vehicles:

Speed.
Braking.
Steering.

Ford will do this through a system of cameras, radar, and sensors on 100,000 miles of pre-mapped divided highways in the US and Canada.

Active Drive Assist will be part of Ford’s “Co-Pilot 360” program. The hardware for the hands-free driving system should be available for purchase first on the Ford Mustang Mach-E this year. After that, Ford will have a list of other vehicles for its 2021 model year that will use the tech. Unfortunately for customers, they will have to wait until next year for Active Drive Assist to be available on the Mustang Mach-E.

CNBC noted that even though a Ford spokesman didn’t comment on which other vehicles the tech will be offered on, a great candidate is the F-150. The article also noted that Active Drive Assist will function more like GM’s Super Cruise than Tesla’s Autopilot. One main reason is that GM and Ford both will only operate on pre-mapped roads, whereas with Tesla, Autopilot has an AI system that can intelligently drive the vehicle and react like a human would in real-time.

Ford plans to stand out from GM’s Super Cruise with the way its system handles and interacts with drivers. One way is through a digital driver information screen instead of just a light bar on the steering wheel. During a media briefing, Darren Palmer, Ford’s global director of battery electric vehicles, said, “A huge amount of work was done in this respect. We noticed from reviewing systems on sale that it can be a little bit confusing to customers.”

I personally think it is a great thing that Ford is coming up with its own version of assisted driving. However, it’s not in full competition with Tesla’s Autopilot. One has to understand the difference between Autopilot and the other types of driver-assist technology.

Even though Autopilot is a type of technology that assists drivers on the road, it’s the first step for Tesla in its goal to complete “Full Self-Driving” vehicles. Autopilot, unlike Super Cruise, isn’t limited to a pre-mapped highway system. It’s also more advanced than typical driver-assist tech and is routinely improved via over-the-air software updates, and comparing it with Super Cruise or Ford’s new Active Drive Assist is similar to comparing bananas to plantains. Both are in the same species, but they are two different treats.

I think what I would like to see more from legacy automakers is the passion behind creating EVs. Ford has one EV coming, but for us to fully go in the direction of electrification, legacy automakers need to focus on electrifying their whole lineups, instead of pushing out a few new fossil fuel vehicle models each year. Like, make the 2021 Ford F-150 an EV only — and do this with every make and model vehicle from here on out. Without doing that, it’s hard to see their supposed commitment to society and it’s hard to see them not fall further and further behind in the new automotive era.

Latest CleanTechnica.TV Show

Advertisement from Google:
About the Author

Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge artist, gem, and mineral collector, member of the International Gem Society, and a Tesla shareholder who believes in Elon Musk and Tesla. Elon Musk advised her in 2018 to “Believe in Good.”

Tesla is one of many good things to believe in. You can find Johnna on Twitter

Advertise with CleanTechnica to get your company in front of millions of monthly readers.

Power CleanTechnica: $3/Month

BMW works council backs electric-only platform-report

The BMW logo is seen on a vehicle at the New York Auto Show in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton BERLIN (Reuters) – BMW (BMWG.DE) should shift course and establish a technology platform just for electric cars, moving away from developing cars that can be… Continue reading BMW works council backs electric-only platform-report

California passes landmark mandate for zero emission trucks

WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – California on Thursday approved a groundbreaking policy to wean its trucking sector off of diesel fuel by requiring manufacturers to sell a rising number of zero-emission vehicles, starting in 2024. FILE PHOTO: A truck engine is tested for pollution exiting its exhaust pipe as California Air Resources field representatives (unseen) work… Continue reading California passes landmark mandate for zero emission trucks

Lordstown Motors has unveiled its $52,500 Endurance truck that’s set to be the first electric pickup to market

Lordstown Motors has unveiled a pre-production version of the Endurance, the automaker’s flagship electric pickup truck. The $52,500 pickup truck is expected to be produced and completed by the late summer of 2021, which would make it to the first mass-produced fully electric pickup truck on US roads. Ohio-based Lordstown Motors has plans to produce… Continue reading Lordstown Motors has unveiled its $52,500 Endurance truck that’s set to be the first electric pickup to market

Electric vehicle startup to unveil truck at former GM Ohio auto plant

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Lordstown Motors Corp will show off its planned electric pickup truck at an event on Thursday as the startup seeks to begin producing vehicles at a former General Motors factory in northeast Ohio. Lordstown Motors, which hopes to start delivering the electric pickup to customers by January 2021 and is still working… Continue reading Electric vehicle startup to unveil truck at former GM Ohio auto plant

Roadrunner project: Tesla plans battery production plant

In California, Tesla has submitted plans to the authorities for a battery production that will run non-stop in shifts. (battery pack, technology) Go to source