A target date for a fully autonomous vehicle, a ridesharing partnership, and an environmental challenge for students were among the items promoted by automakers recently.

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[naviga:li]Ford has set a goal of introducing a fully autonomous vehicle within five years. The automaker plans to introduce a high-volume autonomous model for a commercial ridesharing or ride hailing operation by 2021. The automaker's efforts to develop a self-driving car have included testing in a variety of environments, such as simulated urban environments, snow, and nighttime. As part of its effort to meet the 2021 goal, Ford plans to expand its autonomous test fleet to 90 vehicles next year, partner with four startup organizations for autonomous vehicle research, and expand its research teams and infrastructure at its California locations.[/naviga:li]

[naviga:li]Volvo is also planning to bring autonomous vehicles to the world of ridesharing. The automaker recently announced that it has partnered with the ridesharing company Uber. In this agreement, Volvo will build base vehicles that can include the newest autonomous features—including fully self-driving systems—while Uber will purchase these vehicles from the automaker. Both Volvo and Uber will use the base vehicles to continue developing their own autonomous technologies.[/naviga:li]

[naviga:li]Lexus, the luxury brand of Toyota, is kicking off its 10th annual Eco Challenge. This challenge encourages students in grades six through 12 to develop solutions to environmental problems, with $500,000 in prizes and scholarships for the best work. Students can choose to develop a solution in the Land & Water Challenge or the Air & Climate Challenge. Registration is currently open, with the former challenge running through Oct. 16 and the latter running from Oct. 19 to Dec. 12.[/naviga:li]

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