Ford CEO Jim Farley has 'trust issues' with Tesla's Robotaxi; agrees more with Google's self-driving car Waymo; says: need to be really…
Ford Motor
CEO Jim
Farley
openly questioned Tesla's camera-only approach to
autonomous vehicles
, expressing stronger support for Waymo's laser sensor technology at the Aspen Ideas Festival on Friday. The automotive executive emphasized consumer trust and safety concerns as key factors driving Ford's skepticism toward Tesla's self-driving strategy.
"When you have a brand like Ford, when there's a new technology, you have to be really careful," Farley told interviewer Walter Isaacson. When directly asked to compare Tesla and Waymo's systems, Farley chose Waymo without hesitation, stating "We really believe that LiDAR is mission critical."
LiDAR vs camera-only: The great divide
The debate centers on fundamental technological approaches to autonomous driving. Tesla relies exclusively on cameras and artificial intelligence, while Waymo incorporates LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) laser sensors alongside cameras for enhanced environmental detection.
Farley highlighted LiDAR's advantages, noting that "where the camera will be completely blinded, the LiDAR system will see exactly what's in front of you." This redundancy addresses industry concerns about Tesla's camera-only system, which critics argue lacks sufficient safety backups.
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has defended his company's approach, claiming economic superiority. During Tesla's April earnings call, Musk argued that "Teslas probably cost 25% or 20% of what a Waymo costs and made in very high volume," positioning cost-effectiveness as a competitive advantage.
Ford charts different course for autonomous future
Ford
has abandoned plans to develop fully autonomous Level 4 systems in-house, instead pursuing partnerships with established self-driving companies. The automaker shuttered its $1 billion Argo AI joint venture with Volkswagen in 2022, pivoting toward collaboration rather than internal development.
Currently, Ford focuses on its BlueCruise Level 2 system, which enables hands-free highway driving while requiring driver attention. Farley described the company's strategic shift: "We decided that a cooler problem than full autonomy in an urban setting was high speed, eyes off."
The comments underscore growing industry division over autonomous vehicle development approaches, with traditional automakers increasingly favoring sensor-rich systems over Tesla's minimalist camera strategy.
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