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Ford first to test self-driving cars in Michigan's fake city
The University of Michigan recently built the 32-acre "Mcity" proving ground so that automakers could test autonomous vehicles with zero risk to the public. Since the faux city is in US car country (and far from Silicon Valley rivals like Google), it's only fitting that it was broken in by a small Dearborn outfit: Ford. The automaker tackled Mcity in its latest Fusion Hybrid self-driving car, freshly equipped with four LiDAR sensors for real-time 3D mapping. While Ford has tested its vehicles extensively on public roads, "every mile driven [at Mcity] represents 10, 100 or 1,000 miles of on-road driving in terms of our ability to pack in the occurrences of difficult events," said U of M professor Ryan Eustice.
Ford's Fusion Hybrid research car will explore our driverless future
Ford is convinced that autonomous cars are the future, and it's putting its money where its mouth is by unveiling a Fusion Hybrid variant built solely for researching driverless-car technology. The experimental machine boosts existing driver-assistance tech with four LIDAR sensors that create a 3D map of the vehicle's surroundings; while the data will only improve driver awareness in the short term, it should eventually help the car navigate on its own. Ford isn't planning a production version, so don't look for a robotic Fusion at your local dealership anytime soon. However, the project should be invaluable for translating autonomous-driving concepts into practical realities.
Ford underscores its love of electric cars, spends $135 million to make them happen
Ford really, really wants you to know that it's big on electric cars. Really. To that end, it's putting $135 million where its mouth is as part of the design and production for the electrified vehicles rolling out to dealer lots this year, such as the Focus Electric. A new research building in Dearborn is also being renamed as the Advanced Electrification Center to emphasize the uniform dedication to EVs and hybrids among the 1,000 researchers that call the Center their home away from home. We already know that the company plans to triple its manufacturing capacity to make 100,000 of the cars a year by 2013, but many of the supporting aspects are getting their own lift, Ford adds: it's hiring more engineers and doubling its battery testing capacity. The checklist of improvements you'll find after the break reflects some braggadocio on Ford's part, especially while it tries to stretch its jobs claims, but it's good news all the same. If the expansion keeps the likes of GM and Tesla on their toes, drivers hopefully win as a whole.
Ford unveils Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, alongside gas and regular hybrid variants
It might not be a full EV like last year's Focus Electric, but that doesn't mean you should count the 2013 Fusion out. All-new and packed to the gills with gadgetry like lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control, it's notable for being offered in gasoline, hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants. Efficiency for the mid-sized sedan ranges from 26MPG city and 37MPG highway in the gasoline burner all the way to 47MPG city and 44MPG highway for the lithium-ion toting hybrids. And for the Fusion Energi plug-in, it'll rock an estimated 100MPGe -- 7MPGe better than the Volt and 13MPGe better than the Prius plug-in, despite being larger than either. It'll also roam electrically for 20 miles before firing up its engine, and like the Prius equivalent it'll accelerate all the way up to 62MPH on battery power alone. On the infotainment side you're looking at the latest, more-simple version of MyFord Touch, naturally paired with SYNC. And just like the Focus Electric or C-MAX Energi, charging, heating and cooling can all be controlled remotely with MyFord Mobile. No word on price, but Ford says it'll show up in stateside showrooms, later this year. As for curious Europeans in the crowd, Ford says much of the design carries over to next year's Mondeo. We'll get our drive-on hands-on shortly, but PR and a gallery await after the break.
Ford SYNC AppLink gets rolling in ten new models, still just three apps deep
Back when we gave Ford's SYNC AppLink a test drive in that little green Fiesta, we got word that the Mustang was next in line to receive the service. Well, earlier this year, the auto outfit Linked-up the Mustang and now it's rolling out the application for 10 new 2012 models, including the F-150, Fusion (Hybrid and otherwise), Super Duty, and Expedition. It also says it's got a slew of developers lining up to bring hands-free control of their apps to AppLink. For now, though, no matter which SYNC-enabled beast you boast, or which OS you're rocking (BlackBerry OS, iOS, or Android), you'll be riding dirty with just two linked apps at most. Full PR after the break.
