Ford To Kick Off FordPass Platform in April for Ford and Non-Ford Owners in Mobility Bid
Ford expanded on its Ford Smart Mobility plan with the Monday announcement it's working with cloud-based software company Pivotal to build a platform that will be the foundation for FordPass. The free FordPass platform, due to launch in April for Ford and non-Ford owners, is key to the company’s plan to be both a car company and a mobility company that connects more closely with consumers, Ford said.
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FordPass has four parts: Marketplace includes mobility services such as parking and sharing; FordGuides helps consumers move more efficiently; Appreciation recognizes members for loyalty; and FordHubs are experience centers that will launch in New York and roll out to other cities. FordPass will allow owners of vehicles with Sync Connect to remotely start, lock and unlock, and locate their vehicle, capabilities that will be integral to future Ford mobility services, said the company.
FordPass is “making it easier for consumers, whether they own a Ford vehicle or not, to get where they need to go,” said Elena Ford, vice president-global dealer and consumer experience. By collaborating with Pivotal, Ford will gain leading-edge software development methodologies, next-generation cloud platform and analytics capabilities and knowledge that will enable engineers from the two companies to work “at the pace of a startup” to develop experiences for FordPass members, it said. In the future, customers will be able to access car-sharing and ride-sharing services via FordPass, said the company. Experimental work with Pivotal has begun and the teams are building a foundation for future applications and consumer experiences.
One of the first programs to result from the work is a Dynamic Shuttle service Ford is piloting for employees on its Dearborn, Michigan, campus. The shuttle service packs smart ride-hailing technology with customized shuttles that allow employees to request point-to-point rides on-demand, said the company. Once a mobile-based ride request is made, the software determines the shuttle best suited to handle the request without extending the travel time of riders already aboard, said Ford. The rider is then sent an offer detailing proposed pick-up time and maximum duration of the trip. If the rider accepts the offer, the request is dispatched to the shuttle driver’s navigation interface, along with the most efficient route to complete the requests of all riders in the most timely manner, it said.
Ford is also working on GoDrive, an on-demand public car-sharing pilot in London that offers customers access to a fleet of zero-emission electric cars for one-way trips with “easy parking” throughout the city, it said. Londoners in the pilot have access to 50 cars positioned in 20 locations; one-way trips with guaranteed parking; and pay-as-you-go, per-minute pricing that covers all fees, said the company.
Both pilot programs are part of FordPass, controllable via a smartphone app that's built on Pivotal Cloud’s Foundry cloud platform. Consumers can sign up for information and updates at MyFordPass.com.