Ford is the first company to test autonomous vehicles in Washington, DC.

Both Ford and district officials are committed to exploring how self-driving vehicles can be deployed in an equitable way across the various neighborhoods that make up Washington, D.C., and in a way that promotes job creation, said Sherif Marakby, CEO, Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC, in a post.

We’ll be working with local officials in Washington, D.C., to ensure that we test our self-driving vehicles in all eight of the district’s wards—and eventually operate business pilot programs in all eight wards as well—as we work toward deployment of a commercial service in 2021. We believe that ensuring widespread access to mobility services enabled by self-driving vehicles is vital, a sentiment that was underscored in a report by Securing America’s Future Energy, which found that autonomous technology could improve people’s access to jobs as well as retail markets.

—Sherif Marakby

Ford partner Argo AI, which is leading development of the self-driving system, already has vehicles on district streets, mapping roads in the first step toward testing in autonomous mode. Over the next year, the fleet will grow as Ford expands testing areas, including within the city’s downtown core.