- Ford’s Innovate Mobility Challenge
Series will expand its open innovation approach to eight regions
around the world: Lisbon, Portugal; Mumbai, Delhi and the Chennai
region in India; Los Angeles, United States; Johannesburg, South
Africa; Shanghai, China; and, a countrywide challenge in
Argentina
- The eight challenges of the Innovate
Mobility Series will charge developers and makers to propose
solutions to specific locally-relevant issues – including the
reduction of congestion, the delivery of healthcare solutions, and
improving mobility during the monsoon season – in order to address
the wide range of problems facing different cities around the
world; full challenge details are available at
fordsvl.com/innovatemobility
- Using its globally accessible
open-source platform OpenXC, Ford brings local context to
developers worldwide through the integration of vehicle data with
other locally-relevant data sources to better address the needs of
specific cities or regions
Ford today announced the launch of its Innovate Mobility
Challenge Series, inviting the developer and ‘maker’ communities to
come together to find innovative mobility solutions in eight
different locations around the world.
The worldwide challenges will kick off on July 15 in Lisbon,
Portugal, Los Angeles, United States, and Mumbai, India, before
moving on to Delhi and the Chennai region in India, Shanghai,
China, Johannesburg, South Africa, and a countrywide challenge in
Argentina.
“Reaching out to local stakeholders lets Ford more effectively
address the diverse mobility challenges around the world,” said
Paul Mascarenas, Ford’s chief technical officer and vice president,
Research and Innovation. “Launching our Innovate Mobility Challenge
Series in eight different regions will bring global and local
players together in the pursuit of one goal, which is a smarter and
more efficient transportation network for the future.”
For each competition, Ford will partner with local authorities
and experts to address different issues in each location. The
competitions will be judged by a panel of Ford executives involved
in researching mobility solutions, as well as by local experts
selected for each competition. For full details on all the
challenges, visit the Innovate Mobility Challenge Series landing
page, fordsvl.com/innovatemobility.
A global Blueprint for Mobility
Ford’s Blueprint for Mobility, which was originally announced by
Executive Chairman Bill Ford, outlines what the company believes
transportation will look like in 2025 and beyond, and the
technologies, business models and partnerships needed to get there.
With a growing population and a worldwide trend of urbanization,
personal mobility as well as efficiency in the transportation
sector will only become more important.
Using new technologies to address mobility challenges will be
crucial for customers globally, which is why partner-based projects
like the global challenge series will remain an integral part of
Ford’s plan going forward. A smarter, more connected mobility
landscape will encourage efficiency, increase safety, reduce
traffic congestion and contribute to environmental improvements as
well as shaping personal mobility in a more effective way.
Different cities, different needs
Each challenge was designed to address a specific issue facing
the diverse needs of cities around the world. For full details on
all of the challenges, visit the Innovate Mobility Challenge Series
landing page, fordsvl.com/innovatemobility.
- Lisbon, Portugal: Different
sized cities utilize different mobility infrastructure. Ford’s City
Mobility Challenge in Lisbon encourages developers to optimize the
delivery of goods and services in a sustainable way for cities,
specifically targeting those with less than 600,000 people. The
submission period will run from July 15 to October 14, with the
winners announced in November.
- Mumbai, India: With a
months-long monsoon season that can leave transportation
infrastructure crippled – including flooded, impassable roads and
the suspension of the city’s commuter rail system – the Monsoon App
Downpour Challenge will focus on leveraging vehicles and
information to improve mobility during inclement weather. Mumbai’s
submission period will run from July 15 to October 14, with the
winners announced in November.
- Los Angeles, United States: The
Parking Lots 2.0 Challenge will take parking into the 21st century
by rethinking and repurposing outdoor surface parking lots to
increase their variety of uses, and aesthetic value, while still
ensuring access to parking. The LA submission period will run from
July 15 to October 14, with the winners announced in November.
- Delhi, India: The SUMURR Golden
Hour Challenge will invite developers to create software
applications leveraging information to decrease the time to get to
care and increase information available for care to improve health
outcomes within the critical “Golden Hour” after a traumatic
incident. The submission period will run from July 30 to October
30.
- Chennai region, India: The
SUMURR mHealth Challenge will focus on leveraging information to
extend health services for remote rural regions accessible from
Chennai. The submission period will run from July 30 to October
30.
- Shanghai, China: As the world
becomes more urban and populated, finding traffic-busting solutions
to increase traffic efficiency will only become more important.
Fitting for one of China’s largest and most crowded cities, the
Urban Commuter Challenge calls on developers to find ways to
improve quality of life through apps that help improve mobility
choices and overcome traffic congestion. The submission period will
run from August 14 to November 14.
- Johannesburg, South Africa: The
Johannesburg challenge focuses innovation on adding value to the
vehicle through the creation of accessories for vehicles,
especially commercial vehicles, in the largest city in South
Africa. The submission period will begin on August 14, with more
details to follow.
- Countrywide, Argentina: The
Future of Mobility Contest will challenge college students and
entrepreneurs to submit ideas for projects that will help mitigate
traffic congestion and improve overall mobility in Argentina,
particularly relating to aspects like urban planning, intelligent
infrastructure and new models for public and private mobility. The
contest will run from July 18 through August 29, with contest
finalists evaluated and winners identified in November.
Worldwide call for developers
Ford’s OpenXC program is a non-production, open-source, software
and hardware platform designed to encourage top developers to
experiment with Do-It-Yourself projects using real-time vehicle
data. Developers can use OpenXC data like any other data source in
a smartphone, tablet or web app. The Innovate Mobility Challenge
Series encourages developers to integrate this real-time vehicle
information into apps that relate to sustainability and mobility
issues, whether by incorporating the data into existing apps or
creating new apps from scratch.
“The OpenXC platform gives developers access to more than 15
types of vehicle data, including those related to vehicle speed,
engine speed, fuel-level, and things like whether or not the
windshield wipers are on or if a door is open,” said K. Venkatesh
Prasad, senior technical leader, Open Innovation, Ford Motor
Company. “With these challenges, we’re reaching out to the best
minds in the developer community, because we know that no single
company or individual holds the answer. Local problems need local
solutions, and we want to encourage that.”
A good example of the potential of OpenXC comes from a Ford
engineer, Zac Nelson, who used the open-source platform to design
an app-cum-accessory concept – a manual transmission shift knob
that gives haptic feedback to the driver. Using real-time engine
data and a 3D-printed shift knob he designed with an embedded Xbox
360 actuator, he created an app that instructs the shift knob to
pulsate at the optimum shift points. The app can be programmed for
high performance driving, ride comfort or fuel efficiency depending
on driving style.
Ford’s online OpenXC portal has all the information developers
and accessory makers need to get started, including an OpenXC
overview, tools for developing software without any vehicle related
hardware, and information about how to get started building or
buying OpenXC vehicle interface hardware. Find out more at
openxcplatform.com.
Prize information and challenge requirements
The first three competitions of the Innovate Mobility Challenge
Series – Mumbai, Lisbon and Los Angeles – will offer prizes
totaling US$30,000 for each challenge, with a grand prize of
US$15,000 for the winner of each. For the Argentina challenge, the
winner will receive a scholarship for an Entrepreneur Postgraduate
at an Argentine university and a trip to the United States to meet
with Ford mobility engineers and attend the North American
International Auto Show. The prizes for the remaining challenges
will be announced at a later date.
A wide variety of accessories and software solutions will be
eligible, including web or android apps. All accessories and apps
that will be used while driving must conform to Ford’s In-Vehicle
Usage Criteria for safety including non-distracting driving. No
specific API, SDK, or data integration is required, however use of
Ford’s OpenXC platform is encouraged.
Individuals and organizations of up to 50 employees are eligible
for the cash prizes, while organizations with over 50 employees may
compete for the non-cash Large Organization Recognition Award. The
winning app, or accessory depending on challenge type, will be
selected by a panel of experts comprised of Ford executives and
local judges for each separate city.
The challenges build on the successful Traffic Tamer App
Challenge in London, which concluded this spring. Ford announced in
March that AppyParking, a comprehensive parking app that allows
drivers to pay for parking, view parking maps and find electric
vehicle charging stations, had won the grand prize of
US$10,000.
More information about the Innovate Mobility Challenge Series
can be found online, at fordsvl.com/innovatemobility. Information
about resources for each challenge will be included at the
challenge sites, and tools for getting started with OpenXC can be
found at openxcplatform.com.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six
continents. With about 183,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide,
the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The
company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit
Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products
worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and
high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
Follow at www.facebook.com/ford,
www.twitter.com/ford or www.youtube.com/ford
Ford Asia PacificAbhishek Mahapatra+86 21 3858
1737abhishek@ford.comorFord EuropePraewpailin Jitjuajun+49 221
9018213pjitjuaj@ford.com
Grafico Azioni Winthrop (NYSE:FUR)
Storico
Da Set 2024 a Ott 2024
Grafico Azioni Winthrop (NYSE:FUR)
Storico
Da Ott 2023 a Ott 2024