Ford Builds Car That Doesn’t Need Headlights to Drive at Night

Ford Fusion Hybrid uses LiDAR technology to pinpoint itself on the road in real time, irrespective of headlights.

Ford’s autonomous driving vehicle. (Photo Courtesy: Ford)

Almost every major auto manufacturer in the world is trying to come out with their own versions of a self-driving car. These cars are supposed to push the limits of what regular cars do, and regular cars need headlights to drive at night.

But what if cars of the future do not need them? That’s the idea that Ford worked with and now they have made a car that doesn’t need one anymore.

Ford’s Fusion Hybrid was recently tested at Ford Arizona Proving Ground. According to the American automaker, its LiDAR technology can function on roads without lights. For this, the car uses high-resolution 3D maps – complete with information about the road, road markings, geography, topography and landmarks like signs, buildings and trees. The vehicle uses LiDAR pulses (almost 2.8 million laser pulses a second) to pinpoint itself on the map in real time. Additional data from radar gets fused with that of LiDAR to complete the full sensing capability of the autonomous vehicle.