Ford’s driverless car to hit the roads in 2016

It has been an exciting month for the future for smart vehicles, with Ford now getting a permit to begin operating a driverless car on public streets sometime early next year. 

The American automaker will go public with its autonomous vehicle plans involving a Ford Fusion hybrid, which is already being tested underground, as part of the California Autonomous Vehicle Testing Program in the state. A small fleet of 2016 Fusions will come to California and begin driving around Silicon Valley and San Francisco streets once Ford goes ahead with this move.

The Fusion, when it hits the road, will be occupied by two individuals -- one operator, who will monitor the driving controls, and one systems expert, who will monitor the car's sensors, said James McBride, founder of Ford's autonomous vehicle program.

Ford hopes to eventually bring forth a ‘Level 4’ autonomous car, McBride said -- one that relies on no driver input, even in case of emergency.

“We've always taken the approach that we want the car to be able to handle any scenario a human would, and not suddenly throw the driving back into the lap of the driver” when the going gets rough, McBride said.

Before the driverless Fusions get rolling, McBride said, teams of engineers must first devise routes and create extremely detailed maps.  Fusions already tested in Michigan and Arizona have used 360-degree cameras and radar to “see” more of the road, more of the time, than any driver could; in order to sense the occurring of an unwelcome incident.

A recent move from German carmaker trio Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz to acquire Nokia’s mapping and location division HERE has also been aimed at achieving a similar goal – to develop maps with real time information for ensuring safety and accuracy in their future autonomous cars. (Read more: German carmaker trio acquire Nokia's mapping and location division HERE)

Other companies like Volkswagen, Tesla Motors, Nissan and Honda have also received permits to participate in this driverless car game. Elsewhere, tech giant Google has used its permit to operate a bubble-shaped autonomous car as well.

Ford has also taken the cue and as a part of its plans, the company now has more than 100 engineers, scientists and researchers working at its Research and Innovation Center in Palo Alto. Ford CEO Mark Fields has previously said the company's investment in the region is meant to attract top automotive technology talent.

As mentioned earlier, Ford said that the new cars will be on Silicon Valley roads sometime early next year. The future of autonomous cars seems to get more thrilling with every passing day.