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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
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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
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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
Company Website:
http://corporate.ford.com/
SHANGHAI & COLOGNE, Germany & DEARBORN, Mich. -- (Business Wire)
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
Contacts:
Ford Asia Pacific
Abhishek Mahapatra
+86 21 3858 1737
abhishek@ford.com
or
Ford
Europe
Praewpailin Jitjuajun
+49 221 9018213
pjitjuaj@ford.com
Source: Ford Motor Company
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