US autonomous cars: Ford, Argo ready Lyft rides, Mobileye testing NY

Ford Motor Company and US ride hailing firm Lyft are partnering up to provide autonomous vehicle rides in the United States with the support of Argo AI technology. 

The first vehicles will begin operating in Miami in the coming months followed by Austin Texas in 2022. This is just the start of a nationwide plan to provide at least 1,000 self-driving Ford cars on the Lyft network over the next five years. 

Argo AI will use data collected from Lyft rides to help develop the technology. Trips are booked through the Lyft mobile app and each car will have a safety driver to monitor rides. 

Meanwhile, Intel subsidiary Mobileye has expanded its global autonomous vehicle testing program to New York City as part of its strategy to develop and deploy the technology.

Self-driving vehicle tests (with a safety driver behind the wheel) have already started in the city. The vehicles are equipped with eight long-range and four parking cameras powered by the ADAS tech company's fifth-generation system on chip called EyeQ5.

For more on how AI can help streamline fleet operations, visit here.

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