Ford and Argo AI kick off charitable food delivery pilot in Miami

In partnership with the Education Fund, a collection of nonprofits working in the U.S. and other countries to improve the quality of education, Ford and Pittsburgh-based autonomous car startup Argo AI say they've teamed up to make contactless deliveries in Ford's Fusion Hybrid self-driving test vehicles. The launch of the pilot, which is taking place in Miami, comes as Ford continues to build out a service for autonomous ride-hailing and goods delivery in Miami-Dade County. Some experts predict the coronavirus outbreak will hasten the adoption of driverless vehicles for delivery. A study published by CarGurus found that 39% of people don't plan to use human-driven ride-sharing services post-pandemic for fear of insufficient sanitation. Despite driverless cars' need for regular disinfection and the public's misgivings about their general safety, they promise to minimize the risk of spreading disease because they inherently limit driver-rider contact.