DP World and Ford jointly develop self-driving vehicles

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Ford and the Port of London Gateway, operated by DP World, have conducted numerous simulation tests for self-driving vehicles, with the aim of demonstrating the benefits of these future technologies for managing and operating large work sites.

This initiative is part of Ford’s Autonomous Driving Research Program, designed to help companies realize the benefits that autonomous vehicles can bring to their operations. The project was launched last June to explore the potential impact of self-driving vehicles on courier services and home delivery of purchased goods to customers.DB World Experience explores customer feedback on viewing and handling self-driving delivery vehicles.

The main objective of the pilot project is to identify new opportunities and models for future operations that rely on autonomous vehicles, based on the nature of current operations and the ways in which potential users interact with automated vehicles.

“We have seen a great response from the DB World team working on automotive vehicles,” said Richard Paulch, Ford’s Director of Autonomous Vehicles and Mobility in Europe. We will continue to work closely with our customers to explore solutions that these vehicles can offer, thus adding value to their business. We are pleased that these vehicles have had a direct impact on DB World’s operations in a variety of workplaces. It can be said that the results we have been able to achieve through this experiment can be generalized to large work sites such as universities, airports and industrial facilities.

In collaboration with Argo AI, Ford continues to test autonomous driving technologies in major cities across the United States. The company plans to invest about $ 7 billion (6. 6.02 billion) in autonomous vehicles over the 10 years from 2025, of which $ 5 billion (4. 4.3 billion) will be part of its operating efforts from 2021.

Future aspirations

The Port of London Gateway, operated by DP World, is one of the fastest growing ports in the United Kingdom, located 40 kilometers east of central London, and relies on advanced automation technology as a key part of its operations. Deep Sea Container Port.

For testing, a customized Ford Transit was used to simulate an autonomous vehicle with a driver hidden inside a traditional car seat, as the company’s front desk staff loaded luggage into secure lockers in the back of the car. Then, the Ford Transit vehicle, at scheduled delivery times, went to the main reception desk, 3.5 kilometers away, where colleagues could collect alleged orders. The staff collected the packages from the front desk as usual. Although these trips can take a long time, a full-time driver cannot be included.

Experiments involve following all the steps of the process by specialized analysts who interviewed the participants before, after and after the experiments. Follow-up results show that employees quickly use a self-driving truck specially fitted for this purpose. Many of the team members were trained in advance on how to easily access the parcels to be received, while others were able to overcome the challenges and difficulties posed by experts such as storing parcels in safes that do not belong to them.

Job sites

For his part, Ernest Schulze, CEO of DB World UK, said: “The look of a vehicle simulating self-driving vehicles in the workplace was well received by our teams, and they all wanted to use it. But the effect of these trips in weeks, months and years can be time consuming and time consuming.

Tilbury Port, Ford Takenham Facility and London Gateway Port operated by DP World form the Thames Freeport. Earlier this year the UK government allowed these partners to operate under the free port system. The partners are currently engaged in a feasibility study and were granted the Freeport tax site on November 19 and are in the process of obtaining official accreditation.

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