Ford Showcases Business the Benefits of Self-Driving Vehicles – Automotive Expert Opinion, Since 1982

• Ford partners with DP World London Gateway to demonstrate the utility of autonomous vehicles in the logistics of large companies

• Investigators followed DP World collaborators as they carried packages into a self-driving simulator vehicle.

London, EnglandAnd December 6, 2021 Ford Motor Company and DP World London Gateway, a multinational logistics company, have conducted testing using an autonomous vehicle to demonstrate how useful this technology can be for large companies.

This initiative is part of Ford’s Autonomous Driving Research Program, which is designed to help companies understand how autonomous vehicles can benefit their business. First launched in June, DP World’s test aims to explore the potential impact on courier and home delivery services, and showed how users were able to receive packages from self-driving vehicles.

The goal of the pilot was to identify new opportunities and models for autonomous vehicle operations, but primarily to understand how existing processes and human interactions can work in tandem with autonomous driving.

“It was amazing to see the enthusiasm with which the DP World team received the project and benefited from the support of the autonomous vehicle. It is exciting to see first-hand the impact this can have on a wide range of businesses, so we will continue to work,” said Richard Balch, Director of Autonomous Vehicles. closely with our customers to see how these vehicles can benefit their operations. Mobility, Ford Europe.”What has worked for DP World facilities can be equally beneficial in universities, airports and manufacturing centers.”

Meanwhile, Ford is testing self-driving technology in major cities across the US in partnership with Argo AI and plans to invest about $7 billion in self-driving vehicles over 10 years.

embracing the future

DP World London Gateway, one of the UK’s fastest growing ports, is already using automated technology as a mainstay of its operations.

For testing, Ford used a specially equipped Transit vehicle to mimic the look of a real autonomous car with a driver in the pilot’s seat. Employees at the company’s reception building loaded packages into the back of the car. Then, at the scheduled delivery times, the truck traveled to the main reception, 3.5 km away, so that workers could pick it up.

Each step of the process was monitored by researchers who interviewed the participants, before, during and after the test. The results showed that employees were comfortable using the specially equipped truck. Some obtained their packages easily, while others had to be resourceful to overcome some of the difficulties deliberately introduced by the researchers, such as placing the wrong packages in other boxes.

“Having a self-simulating vehicle on site caused quite a stir among the staff as everyone wanted to use it. Unlocking the vehicle to pick up a package from elsewhere on the site might seem like it doesn’t take all that time, but on multiple trips over weeks, months and years,” said Ernst Schulze. This will require a full-time driver and resources.” CEO of DP World UK