Ford Slams Brakes On Self-Driving Dreams By Pulling NHTSA Exemption Plea

Ford Motor Co F withdrew its petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requesting exemptions to deploy a self-driving vehicle.

What Happened: Ford wrote to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration withdrawing its petition for temporary exemptions to deploy an automated driving system-equipped vehicle. The letter, though dated Feb. 13, was made public by NHTSA on Thursday.

In July 2021, Ford requested NHTSA for a two-year exemption from various requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to deploy its Level-4 automated driving system feature-equipped vehicle.

See Also: Best Stock Trading Software

“As evidenced by the planned shutdown of our ADS partner Argo AI, we believe the road to fully autonomous vehicles, at scale, with a profitable business model, will be a long one,” Ford wrote.

The automaker will instead focus on nearer-term Level-2 and Level 3 automation technologies which do not require exemptions. However, Ford remains optimistic about the future of ADS technology, the letter added.

Argo AI was a start-up backed by Ford and Volkswagen AG VWAGY dedicated to developing autonomous driving tech. It was launched in 2016 with a $1 billion investment from Ford. However, the company shut it down in October after mounting losses. In the third quarter, Ford’s $827 million in losses were led by costs associated with Argo AI.

Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.

Read Next: Ford Joins Deal To Build $4.5B EV Battery Material Plant In Indonesia