Ford and Lyft announce partnership to develop and test autonomous vehicle designs and tech, with aim of putting Ford's self-driving vehicles on Lyft's network
SAN FRANCISCO — For Lyft, winning the race to create the first fully self-driving vehicles on the road is a far from lonely pursuit.
Context & Ripple Effects
Lyft had already broadened its autonomy strategy through a self-driving collaboration with Waymo while building an internal open self-driving platform. The Ford agreement adds another vehicle-and-technology partner to that approach.
The move also extends Lyft's earlier work with GM on testing self-driving electric taxis, making the ride-hailing network a venue for several autonomous-vehicle development efforts rather than a single supplier relationship.
First-order effects
- Ford and Lyft will jointly develop and test vehicle designs and technology aimed at making Ford self-driving vehicles available through Lyft's network.
- Lyft gains another route to autonomous supply alongside its Waymo collaboration, internal platform work, and prior GM testing plans.
Second-order effects
- Waymo and GM face a Lyft that is less dependent on any one autonomous-vehicle partner, increasing the value of demonstrating that their systems can work on a ride-hailing network.
- Ford's development effort is tied to a prospective rider network, shifting the partnership's focus beyond vehicle technology toward how autonomous vehicles are integrated into ride services.
Third-order effects
- If Lyft continues to pair its own platform work with multiple automakers and autonomy developers, ride-hailing networks may become the coordinating layer between vehicle makers and self-driving systems rather than captive fleets for one supplier.
- The pattern points toward competition across the autonomy stack: vehicle design, self-driving software, and network access can be supplied by different partners.
The trend: Autonomous ride-hailing is moving toward multi-partner platforms in which networks assemble vehicles and self-driving technology from several providers.