Ford plans driverless car by 2021 to be used as a ride share vehicle — and it’s coming to Australia

WOULD you trust a car without a driver? You won’t need to wait long to find out if car manufacturer Ford gets its way.

Ford’s “driverless” car would still have a steering wheel and normal controls. Pictured is a development vehicle. Picture: Ford.

FORD says it will have fully automated, driverless cars on the road in 2021 — and they’ll be ready to be introduced in Australia.

There is just one catch: vehicle regulations and road rules will need to be changed to allow them on our streets.

“The technology very likely will be ready to be on the roads before regulatory and legal matters are resolved, and Australia is a part of that,” Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood told News Corp Australia.

When asked when Ford’s driverless car is coming to Australia, the spokesman said: “It’s a global (car) … we’ll announce details closer to launch.”

Ford’s head of technology Raj Nair told US media overnight the “driverless” car would still have a steering wheel and normal controls.

A vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals would not be ready until 2025 or beyond, he said.

The race to autonomous cars has safety advocates worried, especially since the death of a Tesla driver in the US, when the car was being used in autonomous mode.

Ford says it wants to jump the stepping stones that other car brands are introducing on the way to full autonomy, and go with a completely automated model.

“It becomes increasingly difficult to ensure that you have the appropriate level of driver engagement and situation awareness, to hand over (vehicle control) in a safe and reliable fashion,” said Mr Nair.

The news agency Reuters reported that Ford has doubled the number of staff at its research centre in Silicon Valley, and has recently invested in another Silicon Valley firm, Civil Maps, which is developing advanced mapping for self-driving vehicles.

Ford said it will introduce 30 self-driving hybrid sedans this year and 90 next year in California, Arizona and Michigan, the three US states with special conditions that allow testing of driverless cars.

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling