Skip to main content

Ford’s Latest Investment May Help It Take A Lead In Self-Driving

As the race towards autonomous production vehicles heats up, it seems like we hear of a technology startup acquisition by a major automaker each week. Keeping with the trend, Ford has announced a major investment in a self-driving startup called Civil Maps. This particular business uses computer maps to create an infrastructure for fully autonomous vehicles to plug in and safely navigate to or from a destination.

While automakers have already invested resources in technology within self-driving cars, or the tangentially related operation of vehicle sharing, this is among the first investments in the broader facilitation of autonomous infrastructure.

Using data crowdsourced, processed, and transmitted by Civil Maps, fully autonomous vehicles could identify on-road and off-road features, understand what they mean, and notice when they change, allowing them to react like human drivers (when they aren’t playing Pokémon Go).

Read More: Apple Might Buy Into Formula 1

Civil Maps differentiates itself further by shrinking the data needed to build multidimensional, highly precise maps to guide self-driving cars via A.I. (artificial intelligence) programming. Presently, this type of mapping necessitates thousands of human hours and can take as much as six months to complete. Civil Maps says it can do the same task faster and more accurately.

In addition to its mapping technology, the company plans to accelerate production development and deployment with several automakers and tech co-developers. “By creating and managing live semantic maps of all the roads in America, the company is providing a technology essential for the leap to fully autonomous vehicles that can transform the future of transportation,” said Jim DiSanto, managing director of Motus Ventures.

Ford isn’t the only backer of Civil Maps’ $6.6 million seed round. Motus Ventures, Wicklow Capital, StarX Standford, and Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang’s AME Cloud Ventures all joined in the funding.

Though leading automakers are approaching autonomous driving from all angles, expect their investments to start meeting in the middle as we approach target vehicle production dates in the late 2020s and early 2030s.

Miles Branman
Miles Branman developed a passion for cars early on thanks to a neighbor’s collection of rare and exotic vehicles. What…
Pricing for the new Mercedes-AMG GT starts at $135K — here’s what you get
The Mercedes-AMG GT offers superior power and luxury
2024 Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe

2024 Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe_02 Rear 3/4 View MBUSA / MBUSA

While a portion of the population may believe that the only new cars worth getting excited about are EVs these days, as it turns out, ICE vehicles are still around, and what's more, some of them are far more exhilarating than your average Tesla model update. While Mercedes-Benz is known for making lavish luxury vehicles, the tenor of those cars tends to get ratcheted up a few notches whenever Mercedes teams up with its in-house performance brand AMG. Now, the second generation of the incredible Mercedes-AMG GT is available for sale, and the world is all the better for it.

Read more
Buyer beware: The least reliable cars you can buy in 2024
Know the car reliability ratings of these bad buys
Front end angle of 2021 Ford F-150 parked on a dirt trail in front of a red barn and trees.

According to statistics, car sales grew by about 75.3 million globally in 2023, up from the estimated 67.3 million units sold in 2022. Evidently, buying a car is a big purchase, like buying a home, that many people want to achieve during their lifetime. 

Unfortunately, much like houses, cars have become increasingly more expensive in recent years. This is why people want to ensure they are buying a reliable car that isn't going to break down on them a few months to years down the line. The bottom line is drivers want reliability now more than ever. 

Read more
How many teams are there in Formula 1 in 2024?
!0 teams and 20 drivers compete for the World Championship,
Aston Martin Formula 1 race car driving directly toward the camera.

F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix winner's stage Nate Swanner / DTMG

In the current FIA Formula 1 season, ten teams each field two drivers to vie for the highest Grand Prix World Championship points among all competitors. The 2024 F1 schedule has 24 Grand Prix racing events, including six that include a shorter F1 Sprint race.
Why F1 teams matter in the sport

Read more