Henry Ford invented the modern day mass produced automobile as we know it, a 100 years ago defying public notion of horse and carriage will still be a popular mode of transport. Today the company is again betting on the future with an all out investment on autonomous vehicles. The company has announced its intent to have a high-volume, fully autonomous SAE level 4-capable vehicle in commercial operation in 2021 in a ride-hailing or ride-sharing service.

SAE level 4 basically means Society of Automotive Engineers-rated level 4-capable vehicle thats without a steering wheel or fuel and brake pedals. It is specifically designed for commercial mobility services, such as ride sharing and ride hailing.

Ford is collaborating with Silicon Valley startups to enhance its autonomous vehicle development, in fields of Artificial intelligence, deep learning, image processing for environment mapping. And is working with a neuroscience company on navigation, object recognition, facial recognition will help bring humanlike intelligence to the machine learning modules of its autonomous vehicle virtual driver system.

“The next decade will be defined by automation of the automobile, and we see autonomous vehicles as having as significant an impact on society as Ford’s moving assembly line did 100 years ago,” said Mark Fields, Ford president and CEO. “We’re dedicated to putting on the road an autonomous vehicle that can improve safety and solve social and environmental challenges for millions of people – not just those who can afford luxury vehicles.”

Autonomous vehicles in 2021 are part of Ford Smart Mobility, the company’s plan to be a leader in autonomous vehicles, as well as in connectivity, mobility, the customer experience, and data and analytics.

This year, Ford will triple its autonomous vehicle test fleet to be the largest test fleet of any automaker – bringing the number to about 30 self-driving Fusion Hybrid sedans on the roads in California, Arizona and Michigan, with plans to triple it again next year.