Ford Self-Driving Strategy May Include Big Trucks

Ford Motor Co. is evaluating a variety of applications for emerging automated vehicle technologies, including light- and medium-duty commercial trucks.

The company is talking with various partners across multiple industries about how best to deploy the technology, including self-driving delivery trucks, Sherif Marakby, Ford’s vice president of autonomous vehicles and electrification, tells Reuters. He says the possibilities include adding autonomous features to medium-duty variants of Ford’s F-Series pickup truck and the company’s 12-passenger Transit van.

CEO Jim Hackett alluded to the need to consider all options for autonomous driving systems in an interview on Tuesday with The Detroit Free Press.

Ford ‘s Chariot shuttle service uses Transit vans to transport riders between their homes and nearby transit hubs. Chariot operates in four cities—Austin, New York, San Francisco and Seattle—and plans to expand to international markets by the end of the year.

In May Marakby rejoined Ford after spending a year with at ride-services pioneer Uber Technologies Inc., where he oversaw development of self-driving vehicles. Markaby and CEO Hackett are leading a review of Ford’s autonomous and electric vehicle strategy, including new partnerships.

Last year Ford committed to launching a fully autonomous vehicle—whose equipment won’t include a steering wheel or foot pedals—by 2021. The company currently is testing the potential of a self-driving pizza delivery service with Domino’s Pizza Inc.