• Smart Cars

    Ford's Self-Driving Hybrid DARPA Car Now Available for $89,000

    By Jesus Diaz, 8:00 AM on Wed Jun 11 2008, 3,397 views

    If you are looking for a self-driving car, now you can buy the ByWire XGV, the modified Ford Escape that got third place at the DARPA Urban Challenge. Torc Technologies—who collaborated with Virginia Tech to develop this smartypants SUV hybrid—is going to sell the car for just $89,000 as a "research platform," so other researchers can tune and add new contraptions to make it work better and look even more menacing than the current version. The specs are loaded with ports, sensors, and even optional accessories, like vibration isolators. Whatever that is, we want it.

    Vehicle Interface

    Relay: (16) 5A SPST
    Digital IO: 24 Channels, 3.3V and 5V compatible
    Analog Input: 32 Single-ended/16 Differential, 16-Bit Resolution, +/- 10V Range, 250 Khz Max Sample Rate
    Analog Outputs: (4) 12-bit resolution, +/- 10V Range
    Timer/Counter: Variable reluctance speed sensor
    Serial: (2) RS-232, (2) RS-232/422/485 (2 optional), Ethernet (1) Gigabit, USB (2) Version 2.0, CAN (2) Version 2.0B (optional)
    Electrical: BW-100 Input Voltage 10-32 VDC
    Power Consumption: 25 Watts

    Environmental
    Dust / Water Resistance: IP65
    Operating Temperature: -20°C - 70°C
    Operational Shock Rating: 10g

    Optional Accessories
    BW-100-VBI Vibration Isolators
    BW-100-41P 41-pin cable harness
    BW-100-79P 79-pin cable harness
    BW-100-ETC Ethernet cable harness
    BW-100-GPS GPS Receiver Module

    [Torc Tech via CNET—Thanks HawkSkater]