For years, investors and car enthusiasts have been critical of Ford Motor Co. for not pursuing autonomous technology. And now we know why it might’ve taken the 113-year-old firm longer than other companies. Today Ford announced its ambitious plans to build fully autonomous cars that exclude a steering wheel and pedals by 2021. Adding its name to a growing list of automakers that are pursuing driverless technology, Ford plans to separate itself from the pack by partnering with ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft. “Our view is autonomous vehicles could have just as much of a significant impact on society as Ford’s moving assembly line did 100 years ago,” Ford CEO Mark Fields told CNBC in an interview this morning. The brand also announced it would double the number of employees at its Silicon Valley office—from roughly 150 to more than 300—by the end of the year. Engineers there will work on the car’s ability to handle all aspects of driving within a limited region, such as New York City, for example. They’ll focus on handling roads in urban environments that have extremely high-resolution mapping available for the vehicles to work with—a feature many ride-hailing companies would find appealing. The Detroit-based firm plans to roll out the car with ride-sharing services before selling it to the general public. Ford, which is working with several start-ups on such technologies as exterior sensors and 3-D mapping, has yet to release images of the autonomous vehicle.