Ford is one of the many major car manufacturers working on autonomous cars and Baidu is one of the many tech companies working on this technology. The two have now decided to team up in order to test self-driving cars on roads in China. The tests will be part of a new two year project between the companies.
Ford and Baidu said in a statement today that they will begin testing autonomous cars on designated roads in Beijing before the end of this year. The testing may also be expanded to other cities in China.
The companies added that the vehicles used for testing will later be capable of operating on their own in some conditions by the end of the development and testing process of this project. The idea is to achieve level 4 autonomy for the project.
The ability to drive autonomously in some conditions not all is referred to level 4 autonomy. It’s just one step down from level 5 which is what cars that are capable of navigating roads completely on their own without driver input will be designated as.
Ford won’t be the first international car manufacturer to test self-driving cars on roads in China. The country has previously given this permission to Daimler AG, the German auto giant that owns Mercedes-Benz.
Filed in . Read more about Baidu, China, Ford and Self-Driving Cars. Source: reuters