A Ford executive recently said that self-driving cars would only last for four years. The executive said that the reason behind this is quite simple. Self-driving cars will be regularly used, and that is why they will only last for four years.
Ford Autonomous Vehicles operations chief John Rich objected to some pundits claiming that the interest towards self-driving cars will wane in the future.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Mr. Rich said, "The thing that worries me least in this world is decreasing demand for cars. We will exhaust and crush a car every four years in this business."
Ford, which is based in Detroit, has already unveiled its plan to release a fleet of fully autonomous cars. This fleet can be utilized by its partners, which they can use for whatever purpose of their business is. Among the suggested use of these autonomous cars are delivery vehicles or transportation of employees.
Ford has tied-up with tech start-up Argo AI, which is based in Pittsburgh. The latter is tasked to develop self-driving technologies which Ford can use and embed on its cars. The start-up is currently testing some of its prototypes in five different cities in the United States. On top of that, Ford is also working to develop this new division in the company's new 1.2million square-foot facility located in Detroit.
A number of analysts have said that the demand for traditional cars will decrease once fully self-driving cars start rolling into the streets. They also agree that private ownership of personal vehicles will also see a sharp decline in terms of demands once self-driving cars start operating.
On the other hand, Mr. Rick said that self-driving cars would be more efficient and cheaper to produce compared to traditional cars. This efficiency will equate to regular usage, which in turn will aggravate the wear and tear of its parts. That is why he believes that due to regular use, self-driving cars will eventually be rendered obsolete just after four years.
Mr. Rich said, "Every shred of evidence we've seen says that as you drive down cost per mile the miles travelled goes up. You start to help under-served populations [and] you start to move a lot more people."
Ford is considered the fifth largest car manufacturer in the world. However, the company has struggled over the past few years as demand and sales of traditional cars have seen a steady decline. The company has started to join the self-driving and electric car revolution in order to prepare for the future.
