American automotive giant Ford has decided not to install Tesla`s autopilot system in its vehicles. This decision was revealed by Fortune magazine.
Speaking at a festival in Aspen, Colorado, Ford CEO Jim Farley acknowledged the significant progress made by both Tesla and Waymo in the field of autonomous driving technology. Farley confirmed that after discussions with both companies, Ford ultimately chose Waymo`s solution.
“For us, Waymo is better,” Farley concluded. The top executive explained that Tesla`s autopilot technology relies solely on cameras, unlike Waymo, which utilizes lidar, a laser rangefinder. Ford`s head considers lidar a more advanced and useful technology on the road, emphasizing that “where a camera would be completely blinded, lidar will see exactly what is in front of you.”
Fortune journalists recalled that Elon Musk`s decision years ago to base Tesla`s autonomous driving exclusively on cameras was a matter of principle. In 2023, Musk offered other automakers the opportunity to license Tesla`s autopilot technology, but no automaker has done so yet. It was also mentioned that Ford, along with Volkswagen, had developed the autonomous driving startup Argo AI, investing a billion dollars into it, but the venture was shut down in 2022.
In April, Musk criticized Waymo`s approach, stating that their vehicles are produced in limited volumes because lidars are too expensive.
Shortly before this, in late June, Musk announced that the first Tesla Model Y drove itself from the factory directly to its customer in a fully autonomous mode.
