Every automaker in the industry has been busy working on the development of self-driving cars, and out of all the brands in the autonomous car race, Ford was recently the first carmaker to test out their Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Research Vehicle at Mcity. The 32-acre real-world environment, which was created specifically for testing self-driving cars, opened this past July in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Funded by the University of Michigan, Michigan Department of Transportation and 16 other companies, Mcity is the world’s first controlled environment designed to evaluate autonomous and connected vehicle technologies. Designed to look like your typical city block, Mcity features everything from building facades and traffic lights to curbs and mechanized pedestrians. Each of these components, among many other obstacles, can be found across five miles of roads that make up the unique campus.
Utilizing LiDAR sensors, real-time 3D mapping technology, radar and cameras, Ford was able to test out its Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Research Vehicle at Mcity in an effort to accelerate research of these highly advanced technologies. They plan on continuing these tests in the future, which will eventually lead to the production of an autonomous car.
"Testing Ford's autonomous vehicle fleet at Mcity provides another challenging, yet safe, urban environment to repeatedly check and hone these new technologies," said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. "This is an important step in making millions of people’s lives better and improving their mobility."
To see just how Ford tested the Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Research Vehicle at Mcity, view the short video above.
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