Ford X incubator will research new transit ideas
Ford is getting experimental.
It acquired two companies to jumpstart an incubator for transit ideas called Ford X.
The new team (with a name reminiscent of Google X) will look into new products and services with a focus on mobility businesses like Chariot, the ride-sharing shuttle service it bought in 2016.
As part of this focus on experimenting in mobility services, Ford announced Thursday it had acquired vehicle connectivity platform Autonomic and TransLoc, a software company that provides real-time data for riders and transit systems.
Autonomic CEO Sunny Madra will head the Ford X team, which is part of Ford's smart mobility program. Beyond investing in transportation startups, the team wants to be on the forefront of early mobility ideas.
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"We want to work with transportation stakeholders of all kinds — automakers, large-scale fleet operators, public transit operators and communities everywhere — to develop the mobility platform for the cities of tomorrow," Madra wrote on Medium.
"Whether it’s to route self-driving cars, manage large-scale fleets or help residents plan transit journeys, join us as we continue to build the platform that will achieve mobility’s full potential for millions of people in cities around the world."
Once ideas and startups "mature" in Ford X they'll head to the mobility business group that has been working on growing Chariot and other "microtransit" businesses and a non-emergency medical transportation service.
In a release about the acquisitions and formation of Ford X, Ford Mobility president Marcy Kelvorn said, "(Ford X) will enable faster innovation incubation and product development times." So ideally all these ideas will come to fruition faster and the next Chariot-like idea will come from within Ford.
Within all this incubation, Ford will continue supporting autonomous and electric vehicle research and development.
Now with a moonshot incubator, Ford is revving up its mobility services goals.
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
