Dive Brief:
- Ford Motor Co. is integrating Apple Maps into the infotainment system of its Universal Electric Vehicle Platform in 2027, the automaker announced in a July 23 press release.
- Apple Maps offers drivers turn-by-turn directions using natural language, real-time traffic and incident information, an intuitive search feature using detailed place cards and routing options to help drivers find the best route to a destination.
- Ford will also use highly accurate road-level data from Apple Maps for the development of its next-generation BlueCruise hands-free automated highway driving system to deliver enhanced functionality for navigating highway on-ramps and off-ramps, per the release.
Dive Insight:
To integrate Apple Maps into its UEV platform vehicles, Ford engineers will use Apple’s new MapKit for Automotive SDK, which is a software tool available to automakers to embed maps, location services, points of interest and geographical data needed to run Apple Maps. Ford’s UEV customers will also get intelligent electric vehicle routing and battery preconditioning, which is a feature of Apple Maps for EV drivers.
“With our new MapKit for Automotive SDK, we’re bringing Maps further into drivers’ daily lives, giving them an incredibly accurate and easy-to-use navigation system that is seamlessly integrated into Ford vehicles,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s SVP of Services and Health, in a statement.
Ford will be one of the first automakers to embed Apple Maps directly into vehicles, per the release. Apple launched the navigation platform in 2012.
For customers who may have data privacy concerns, Apple says it does not collect users’ location details and activity from Apple Maps that can be traced back to the individual user.
The development of Ford’s next-generation BlueCruise system that will utilize Apple Maps is being led by Pittsburgh-based Latitude AI, the automaker’s wholly-owned autonomous driving software subsidiary. The unit employs 600 machine learning, robotics and software experts tasked with building Ford’s proprietary advanced hands-free driving system in-house, per the release.
Ford and Latitude AI are designing both the vehicle hardware and the software for its next-generation BlueCruise system, so it can more easily be scaled across future Ford vehicles at a lower price point, per the release.
Also as part of the project, Latitude AI is developing the “Ford Large Driving Model” powered by machine learning and neural networks to support a wide range of self-driving capabilities. The model is built using millions of miles of real-world driving data.
“We’re proud to embed Apple Maps’ navigation and mapping technology directly into our Universal Electric Vehicle Platform, giving customers the ultimate navigation experience alongside our Ford app, a full suite of software, and next-generation BlueCruise, all enabled by a new zonal architecture,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a statement. “Apple Maps has delivered a world-class product, and we’re honored to be among the first to embed it directly into a vehicle, helping define intuitive, capable driving.”
In addition to the integration of Apple Maps into Ford’s UEV Platform, CarPlay will continue to be available in other Ford vehicles, according to Apple’s press release.
