These Blue-Chip Stocks Depend On Self-Driving Car Technology

Level 5 autonomy is already here, but the vast majority of drivers have yet to experience it. Pilot programs scattered throughout the U.S. or high-price luxury vehicles—these are the ways you can access self-driving cars. But if you want to invest in expansion, self-driving car stocks are the way to go.

Of course, some small self-driving car startup that just went public may be a bit riskier than some investors prefer. That’s what makes blue-chip stocks such a smart move. What publicly traded companies reserve a portion of their capitalization for autonomous development?

Waymo, the self-driving vehicle leg under Alphabet stock (GOOGL)

Image source: Facebook

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has an autonomous vehicle leg that is gaining some serious traction. Waymo has been developing their self-driving fleet for years and have even achieved a public pilot program in certain urban areas.

While not exactly prepared for expansive availability, Waymo’s technology is largely safe in specified environments (although one outlier did get confused by traffic cones recently). Returns on your capital are a ways out for this one, but that’s why it’s great you can invest in it via a well-rounded blue-chip stock.

Despite the tech sell off, Google stock is up 36.88% YTD through May 28, with a five-year stretch of 221%.

Ford (F) is on the cusp of commercial autonomy

Ford has plans to release a self-driving fleet of commercial business vehicles by 2022. Unlike the Waymo rides, which use a minivan foundation (a Chrysler Pacifica, to be exact), these vehicles will be based on the Ford Escape Hybrid crossover.

The current generation is Ford’s fourth. They’re working in partnership with Argo AI, a startup that’s based in Pittsburgh, PA.

“Our mission is not to replace the personal freedom that driving provides, but rather to build technology to empower mobility products that offer choice.” – Bryan Salesky, Argo AI CEO

Ford has been public since 1981. The stock’s peak was in the late 1990s. Based on current market value, there’s a lot of potential for growth. One-year returns of 154.36% fluctuate over the longer term.

General Motors (GM) is another blue-chip self-driving car stock

GM is on a mission to grow their electric vehicle selection fast. But they’re working on self-driving cars, too. The company is working with their own autonomous vehicle startup, Cruise, as well as developing a software partnership with Microsoft (yet another publicly traded company under the ticker symbol “MSFT”). 

GM plans to expand their self-driving vehicle accessibility from their base in San Francisco over time. In fact, they plan to equip 22 types of vehicles with at least some level of the hands-free driving systems by 2023.

GM has had its own issues with its stock over the years, but after their 2011 IPO, the stock has grown 74.46%. It may behoove investors to wait for a noteworthy correction before investing in this self-driving car stock.

BlackBerry (BB) stock tackles self-driving car security

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You may know BlackBerry for their iconic cell phones, but the company has a grip on security technology as well. 

Self-driving cars have the potential to be hacked, and security helps to combat this. It just so happens that BlackBerry is at the forefront of the battle.

BlackBerry went public in 1999 and shares peaked at the height of their cell phone success in 2008. Now that they’ve switched gears to self-driving car security, their stock is on the rise—up 144% in the last year.