Automakers are racing to get fully self-driving cars on our roads by 2021

Mark your calendars: automakers plan to put truly autonomous cars on our roads in the next five years. Ford has announced that it will manufacture a fleet of fully automated driverless cars, without steering wheels or pedals, and put them into commercial operation by 2021. The company--which has previously been modest about its self-driving-car claims--says that the vehicles will initially be used in ride-sharing fleets and for package delivery services, though it doesn't say which companies might be involved. To enact its plan, Ford has acquired the Israeli machine-learning firm SAIPS and invested 75 million into the laser imaging company Velodyne, and it plans to double the size of its Silicon Valley staff. But it isn't the first to give a firm date for the arrival of fully self-driving cars.