Ford’s transition into and automotive and mobility company, still in its infancy, has already produced a great number of partnerships with other firms. The latest, announced during Ford’s strategic update conference with investors last week, is with a 15-month-old Silicon Valley startup called “Autonomic Inc.”
Autonomic provides a software platform for mobility apps and services, saving Ford the effort of having to develop entirely from scratch. According to Reuters, one of Ford’s first services built on the Autonomic platform Non-Emergency Medical Transport, launched this past summer by Ford and Michigan’s Beaumont Hospital. It allows patients to schedule appointments and pickup times from a mobile app, helping them receive non-emergency medical treatment where transportation might otherwise be an issue.
Down the line, should Ford Motor Company choose to launch its own ride-hailing or fleet management services, Autonomic’s platform could take care of customer identification, digital payments, and managing data between the vehicle and the customer’s mobile app, Reuters reports.
Ford’s big, central mobile app for mobility services – FordPass – launched last year, giving commuters access to things like pay-in-advance parking and Chariot shuttle rides. It’s unclear if that will be replaced, rebranded, or redesigned on the Autonomic platform in the future.
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