Around the Net
Ford Moves Toward Bringing Self-Driving Cars To Market
- Fortune, Tuesday, November 1, 2016 9:16 AM
Ford Motor has hired a Silicon Valley executive with deep experience in connected devices and machine learning to bring self-driving cars to market, the latest signal that the automaker is accelerating its shift from research and development of autonomous vehicles to a full-scale business. Laura Merling will be vice president of autonomous vehicle solutions at Ford Smart Mobility, a subsidiary focused on developing the automaker’s transportation services such as car-sharing. Ford Smart Mobility is based in Palo Alto, Calif. and is headed up by Jim Hackett, former chief executive at Mich.-based office furniture company Steelcase.
Dear Ford,
Instead of wasting your resources on removing the driver from driving, how about we do a retro car that people can work on themselves?
A kool retro-mod of maybe a mid-60's Falcon or Fairlane, with an emission compliant engine, less the garbage computer modules, would be awesome. How about a simple wiring harness, that has gauges, radio, lights and other electrical connection "Autonomous" from clusters of plastic circuit boards. Classic cars have a simple 4 gauge set up. Mechanical oil pressure, mechanical float in the gas tank, (and PLEASE< take the friggin fuel pump out of the tank), a simple positive/negative battery gauge, and an actual thermostat in the block. THESE type of gauges go decades without failure, and if they break, you can fix the one that is broken.
You captured some of the masses, with the retro-pony-stang, now concentrate on a "daily drive'.
And one more request, NO MORE SILVER PAINT!!! One more, One more thing, make it Anti-Smartphone, have no recharge plug !!!