Reading Assignment 3

Read through the article quickly. Tick (✓) the two ideas that are true, according to the article.

[ ] Ford and Volkswagen have talked generally about working together on autonomous vehicles, but
haven’t made any specific plans.
[ ] Governments around the world are investing in driverless vehicles because they see them as a
good way to improve road safety.
[ ] Manufacturers of autonomous vehicles are working with businesses to develop new ways of
delivering products and services.
[ ] Ford and other car makers are also working on developing flying vehicles that can reach areas that
are currently difficult for conventional cars.

Vocabulary 1 – vocabulary in context

Match each word (1–6) with the best definition (a–e).
1 co-invest a introduce, launch
2 collaboration b very large
3 tweak c make small adjustments to
4 vast d working together, co-operation
5 deploy e supporting the idea
put money into a project
6 adding weight to speculation f together

Vocabulary 2 – vocabulary in context

Write words 1–6 from Vocabulary 2 in the correct gaps in the article.

Ford open to working with foreign rivals on driverless cars

Ford is open to working with other carmakers to expand self-driving services internationally, the head of the carmaker’s
autonomous vehicles business said, 1……………….. it may partner with Volkswagen on driverless cars.
The US carmaker and its German peer are in “broad” talks over 2……………….. in a number of areas, both
companies have said. Sherif Marakby, CEO of Ford Autonomous Vehicles, said collaborating in other regions
“totally makes a lot of sense. Joint investment with people who can complement each other makes perfect sense,” he
told the Financial Times in an interview.
He said: “The autonomous vehicle development and business costs billions and billions of dollars in one region, so when
trying to 3……………….. this across multiple regions it totally makes sense to be joining in on the risk and
the reward.” The “opportunity to 4……………….. not just in the technology but the business and go-to-market and
share the reward of that, it does make sense,” he added. Mr Marakby declined to comment on the Volkswagen talks
specifically.
Ford’s chief financial officer Bob Shanks told investors last month that the pair were having “a very broad set of
discussions about how we can help each other around the world”. Earlier this week, Herbert Diess, Volkswagen
chief executive, said talks could lead to VW sharing its electric car platform with Ford, and the pair collaborating
over US manufacturing.
Carmakers and technology groups are developing self-driving systems to reduce road accidents as well as to open up
new business models, and many are collaborating to reduce the 5……………….. investment costs needed. BMW
and Fiat are working alongside Intel, while Honda and SoftBank have both invested in Cruise, the General Motors
self-driving car unit.
Ford, which is also in talks with possible external investors for its own self-driving unit, is focusing on building the
services it will roll out from 2021, so that it can deploy “at scale”, Mr Marakby said. It is testing potential services in
Miami and Washington DC, with partnerships with Domino’s and Postmates, and has plans to announce a third US
city next year.
In time the company will deploy “tens of thousands” of vehicles into its services, said Mr Marakby, who joined Ford
from Uber last year to lead its self-driving efforts. As well as developing the self- driving technology used to operate
the vehicles, testing the services has allowed the company to 6……………….. the exact business models it will roll
out in just over two years’ time.
The group is considering a hub-and-spoke system for deliveries, allowing its vehicles to deliver mail and packages
to mini-depots, with human operators delivering to specific addresses that a road vehicle cannot reach, such as
apartments. It is also investigating using drones to take packages to their final destination.
Mr Marakby said: “The interesting thing is you can solve some of these problems with people, meaning if the
autonomous vehicle delivers stuff to a central area in a subdivision you can have people actually — not a person per
vehicle — who can do multiple deliveries, in addition to drones and other things”.
Ford will develop its own purpose-built vehicle for the services that can carry both people and goods, in order to
maximise the use of the vehicles outside of rush hour.
Volkswagen has also shown off several autonomous concept cars, including a large walk-in bus called Sedric. The
group is working with Aurora, a self-driving development company founded by Waymo founder Chris Urmson, for
its technology.

Reading 2
Choose the best answer to each question.

1 What is the main motivation for the collaboration?

a) Ford doesn’t have its own technology. c) Volkswagen has a bigger market.
b) Ford wants to share the costs. d) Volkswagen was hurt by the diesel scandal.

2 What have Ford and VW talked about?

a) Competing with other carmakers. c) Selling driverless cars to governments.
b) Developing cars in Europe. d) Producing cars in North America.

3 What is one major motivation for developing autonomous vehicles?

a) To reduce pollution. c) To improve safety.
b) To increase profits. d) To attract investors.

4 What business is Ford considering with other business partners?

a) Public transportation c) Holidays
b) Delivery d) Entertainment

5 What role will people play in Ford’s new business, according to the article?
a) Doing jobs that machines can’t do. c) ‘Driving’ vehicles from home computers.
b) None, because it will all be automated. d) Taking orders by phone.
Vocabulary 3 – driverless cars and services

Match the words with the best meaning. Use your dictionary if necessary.

VW may share its 1electric car platform with Ford. Ford is working with other companies because
it wants to launch its electric car delivery service 2“at scale”, not as a small test product. Ford and
its partners are considering a 3hub-and-spoke system for deliveries, where driverless vehicles
bring goods to 4mini-depots, centrally located in neighbourhoods or 5subdivisions, and delivery
employees take them from there to homes and businesses. They also may use 6drones instead of
humans for some deliveries. The deliveries will be carried by 7purpose-built vehicles, designed to
carry both parcels and people. VW has presented a few 8concept cars, but is not yet producing any
electric vehicles for sale.

a delivering outward from central locations rather then

delivering in long delivery routes
b the basic design, systems and structure of a battery-
powered vehicle
c areas of a town or city
d producing large numbers
e small storage areas for holding packages
f cars made to display a design or idea
g cars made to do a certain job
h small, flying delivery machines with no one on board