Ford to launch autonomous car testing in California in 2016

Ford says it has received a permit from the state government to begin publicly testing autonomous cars on California roads next year.

Having officially enrolled in the California Autonomous Vehicle Tester Program, Ford will roll out an undisclosed number of fully-autonomous Ford Fusion Hybrid sedans in The Golden State.

The public testing comes as the automaker continues to expand its Ford Research and Innovation Center Palo Alto, Calif., with the staff growing from a 15-person team to more than 100.

"Our Palo Alto team has grown significantly this year, using research and innovation to explore and develop future mobility solutions," Ford president and chief executive Mark Fields said in a statement.

"We're attracting top talent from around the world to join our team in Silicon Valley, including employees from local technology companies and universities who want to make people’s lives better by changing the way the world moves."

Outside of the public autonomous vehicle testing, the team in California has been working on camera-based pedestrian technology and the use of sensors on autonomous vehicles to detect and track objects in the vehicle's view.

"Having a strong presence in Silicon Valley allows us to further accelerate our research on a wide range of technologies, and apply our insights to create real-world mobility solutions," said Ken Washington, vice-president of research and advanced engineering with Ford.