August 28, 2019—Ford Operations Chief, John Rich, told The Telegraph that autonomous vehicles would only last for four years because they will be used so much.
“The thing that worries me least in this world is decreasing demand for cars. We will exhaust and crush a car every four years in this business,” he said.
The average life of a U.S. car is nearly 12 years, meaning the autonomous vehicle will only last for a third of the normal lifespan. However, Rich argued that self-driving fleets would be cheaper and more efficient, and would be used more than private cars are being used currently, increasing wear-and-tear.
Ford plans to establish an autonomous fleet and will be used as a service by other companies for delivery vehicles and transporting employees.
Argo AI is developing the cars for Ford and is currently testing the technology in five cities.
