Ford to begin testing driverless cars on California streets

Ford Motor Co. has joined the growing list of car companies fielding autonomous vehicles in California, according to the Los Angeles times.

The Detroit automaker has received a permit to begin operating a driverless car on public streets as part of California’s autonomous vehicle testing program.

Ford executives say a Ford Fusion hybrid is already being tested in a closed-course setting in the Palo Alto area. Now a small fleet of 2016 Fusions will begin driving around Silicon Valley and San Francisco streets.

The Fusions, when they hit the roads, will each be occupied by one operator, who will monitor the driving controls, and one systems expert, who will monitor the car's sensors, James McBride, founder of Ford's autonomous vehicle program, told the Los Angeles newspaper

Ford said it hopes to eventually bring forth a "Level 4" autonomous car, McBride said — one that relies on no driver input, even in emergencies.

"We've always taken the approach that we want the car to be able to handle any scenario a human would, and not suddenly throw the driving back into the lap of the driver" when the going gets rough, McBride said.

Car companies that have already received California permits include Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla Motors, Nissan and Honda, the Los Angeles Times reported. The tech giant Google has used its permit to operate a bubble-shaped autonomous car around the Bay Area.

Ford said the new cars will be on Silicon Valley roads sometime early next year.

Related: Autonomous vehicles could shrink U.S. personal auto insurance sector by 60%

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