Autonomy for the Masses

Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC aims to do for AVs what the Model T did for just about everyone. CEO Sherif Marakby explains.

Henry Ford was not quite a year away from rolling out his world-changing Model T when, in 1907, the Chicago Hosiery Co. built a factory branch in Detroit's Corktown district. Today the exterior of that same three-story brick building on Michigan Ave. appears unchanged from its sock-sewing past, aside from the Spin electric scooters on the front sidewalk. But inside, it's abuzz with the innovative stuff that a 21st-century Henry would love.

Open floor plan. No offices. Rolling desks. A few tiny meeting rooms. White boards galore. And fairly high levels of ambient noise. Since opening in May 2018, “The Factory,” as its 220 employees call it, has been home to Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC-the dedicated business unit that aims to launch Ford's first self-driving, hybrid-electric production AV in 2021. Also based there is Team Edison, Ford's EV advanced-planning group. Together, they are the vanguard of Ford's multi-billion-dollar thrust into connected, multi-modal mobility. Ford leadership wanted both teams to work-and ideally, live-within the urban ecosystem where their products initially will be used most.