Ford Expands Self-Driving Business Footprint In Austin

AUSTIN, TX — The Ford Motor Co. is expanding its self-driving business in Austin with plans to open a hub near the Austin airport, officials revealed on Wednesday.

Ford officials said recent real investments that include a building lease will enable the company to build a terminal for its self-driving vehicle fleet. The news comes in the wake of a September announcement alerting an expansion of the company's self-driving business to Austin, the third city for market expansion that followed entry in Miami and Washington, D.C.

“Establishing a real estate footprint is a critical part of bringing Ford’s self-driving vehicle service to Austin and something we couldn’t have done without the city’s support,” Kathleen Baireuther, Austin Market Manager, Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC, said in a prepared statement. “While these locations will help us manage and build our self-driving fleet, we also look forward to them serving as places to educate the community about the work we are doing.”

The command center in Austin will be Ford’s first command center to open across the company’s three self-driving business launch markets, serving as the epicenter of Ford’s local self-driving business. The command center’s daily operations will include business development, customer relations, research and safety evaluations and testing. Ford expects the facility, which is located near Austin-Bergstrom Airport, to be operational by 2021.

Related story: Ford Picks Austin For Self-Driving Vehicle Testing

In addition to the property investment, Ford will lease a building for its terminal close to downtown. As in the launch cities of Miami and Washington D.C., the terminal will serve as the base from which Ford and its self-driving partner, Argo AI, will operate its test fleet, officials explained. Terminal operations will begin by the end of the year, company officials added.

“Vehicle operations and fleet management are essential parts of building a successful and scalable self-driving service in Austin and other markets which we’ll expand to in the future,” Don Conroy, director, Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Management at Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC, said in a prepared statement. “The command center and terminal buildings offer Ford the opportunity to see firsthand how our vehicles will operate and what they need from us to make sure they are being utilized around the clock.”

Ford Motor Co. tested its self-driving cars in Austin on Sept. 25, 2019. Photo courtesy of Ford.

With the real estate investments secured, Ford will now look to expand its Austin-area team in the coming months to support its self-driving business operations, officials said. To that end, the company will be looking to hire technical personnel, maintenance workers, operations support and more to cover a variety of roles.

“As our community’s economy continues to grow, we must improve congestion and transportation affordability,” Matt Geske, vice president of Regional Infrastructure & Mobility at the Austin Chamber of Commerce, said in a prepared statement. “Self-driving vehicles can play a part in ensuring our city’s transportation solution is accessible and equitable, and the Chamber looks forward to working with Ford as the company advances its self-driving vehicle business in Austin.”

In September 2019, Ford announced it would expand its self-driving business to Austin for the movement of people and goods. The initial commercial service is scheduled to launch in 2021, and will aim to serve businesses, commuters and visitors, providing an easy and equitable transportation option. Ahead of this, Ford and Argo AI will begin mapping the streets of Austin by the end of 2019, officials added.

To learn more about Ford Autonomous Vehicle LLC and the work the team is doing, please visit https://medium.com/self-driven.