Ford’s 2015-16 Sustainability Report highlights key environmental benchmarks and the ongoing work of the automaker, including its expanded focus beyond vehicle production to developing mobility solutions for the future and investing an additional $4.5 billion for the development of more electrified vehicles and technologies by 2020.
Ford has announced an expansion of its research and development in Europe and Asia. Investing $4.5 billion, the automaker plans to add 13 electrified vehicles to its portfolio, making 40 percent of its nameplates electrified products by 2020. Ford will also spend $2.1 million on a state-of-the-art facility at the University of Michigan to boost research and development of advanced battery technology.
Earlier this year, the automaker created Ford Smart Mobility LLC, a new subsidiary to design, build, grow and invest in emerging mobility services using existing Ford innovations, products and technologies.
Driven to deliver a great customer experience, Ford has unveiled a bevy of new technologies to help people stay better connected behind the wheel. Its latest, FordPass – an innovative consumer experience platform that launched in April – will offer such services as remote vehicle access through a smartphone app, and mobility solutions such as parking and car sharing.
Ford is working nimbly, collaborating with startups and tech companies to design and build mobility services. Early this month, Ford and Techstars Mobility, driven by Detroit introduced its 2016 class of startup businesses that will develop future mobility solutions. Launched in 2015, the mentorship-driven accelerator program supports a dozen startups annually that are working on ride-sharing services and technologies, improving the car-ownership experience, and safety and autonomous-driving technologies.
Ford is also experimenting around the globe to solve some of the most complex mobility issues of the future. In the past 16 months, the company has conducted more than 30 global mobility experiments to gain insight into changing consumer transportation preferences. Several ongoing pilot programs include GoPark, which is building a predictive parking system in London capable of directing drivers to streets where they are most likely to find a space; also in London is GoDrive, a car-sharing program that provides vehicles with guaranteed parking at busy locations. At the Ford World Headquarters campus in Dearborn, the Dynamic Shuttle program allows employees and visitors to summon point-to-point rides on-demand.
