Ford’s driverless Fusion Hybrid sedans will hit California roads by 2016

Ford Motor Co. announced that it will begin testing a fully autonomous Ford Fusion Hybrid sedans in California public roadways next year. The company recently received a permit from the state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to test its Fusion.

The company said that the Ford Fusion's test is part of its 10-year autonomous vehicle deployment plan and is an important element to its Smart Mobility scheme, according to Engadget.

The company is exploring the cars with autonomous features  for future transportation.

Ford Motor has been developing the autonomous Ford Fusion Hybrid sedans in its research facility, Ford Research and Innovation Center in Palo Alto,  that was established in early 2015.

In only less than one year, the research facility has been growing from 15 to 100 researchers working on advanced technologies for the automaker company.

Ford Research and Innovation Center has been exploring autonomous virtual test drives to test the vehicle's sensor technology when the unexpected things happen. The research center will add the real-world driving test as a natural extension to the tests.

Starting in January 2016, Ford Fusion Hybrid will start its real-world self-driving test in an around the research center.

Ford said it has also built a relationship with a number of institutions including the University of California-Berkeley, San Jose State, Santa Clara and Carnegie Mellon for its autonomous vehicle test.

The testing will initially be limited to one sensor packed Fusion Hybrid, USA Today reported. But the company said it may also consider permitting additional vehicles to down the road.

Ford will start the test with planning driving routes, which will include everything from highways to city streets. The test will also include mapping the road with 3D maps. The Fusion Hybrid will be fully driverless in the streets in the second half of 2016.

Ford Fusion Hybrid sedans will also undergo testing at Mcity, the full-scale simulated real world urban environment at the University of Michigan. Ford announced last month that the company is the first automaker to test autonomous vehicle in this 32-acres mobility transformation facility.

Ford is the latest company to receive the autonomous vehicle test permit in California. According to The Verge, the company  joins a number of existing carmakers with autonomous car permits including BMW, Honda, Mercedes, Nissan, Tesla, Volkswagen, and Google.

Google has been testing its autonomous vehicles in Mountain View California for six years. It is also exploring the streets in Austin, Texas, with its autonomous driving technology. Google has been testing 53 vehicles and has covered 1.3 million miles road tests.