Ford-owned Autonomic Partners with Alibaba Cloud
New software delivers enhanced mobility experiences while giving us a hint at what’s in store for the future regarding Ford’s vehicle technology.
Autonomic, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Smart Mobility LLC, and Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to bring to China the Transportation Mobility Cloud (TMC) – the world’s foremost transportation and mobility solution for connected vehicles developed by Autonomic.
Enabled by Alibaba Cloud, the TMC will serve as an open, cloud-based platform that provides standardized data and infrastructure for developers to quickly build value-added software programs for interacting with connected vehicles. This new software could help deliver a better in-vehicle connectivity and mobility experience for Chinese consumers, such as helping residents plan transit journeys, managing a large-scale fleet for a ride-hailing business, and even routing self-driving cars on busy streets.
As seen in the photo below, the event was attended by (l. to r.): Simon Hu, president of Alibaba Cloud; Liu Fei, director of Automobile Division, Alibaba Cloud; Gavin Sherry, CEO and co-founder of Autonomic; Peter Fleet, Ford group vice president and president of Ford Asia Pacific.
Autonomic and Alibaba Cloud believe this partnership will be instrumental in shaping China’s transportation ecosystem by empowering multiple parties – including automakers, public transit operators and large-scale fleet operators and software developers – to enhance their vehicle connectivity and mobility experiences for Chinese customers.
Both companies also agreed to explore new collaboration opportunities in the transportation and mobility sectors, with the ultimate goal of creating a safer, more efficient and sustainable transportation ecosystem in China.
‘Through this partnership, we will accelerate our vision of creating the largest connected vehicle offering globally, while powering smart cities & vehicle connectivity in China.’
“The TMC is positioned to help automakers succeed and meet growing demand for connected vehicles and mobility services in China,” said Gavin Sherry, co-founder, and CEO of Autonomic. “Through this partnership with Alibaba Cloud, we will accelerate our vision of creating the largest connected vehicle offering globally, while powering smart cities and vehicle connectivity in China.”
“Alibaba Cloud and Autonomic share the same vision of redefining the future of vehicle connectivity through technology,” said Simon Hu from Alibaba Cloud. “With our new collaboration, we will be able to empower the transportation ecosystem and ultimately benefit the end users.”
In February 2018, Ford Smart Mobility announced its acquisition of Autonomic to accelerate innovation and delivery speed in mobility initiatives like the drive toward full connectivity, micro-transit solutions and non-emergency medical transportation.
Autonomic has opened an office and is building a team in Shanghai to further develop and deploy the TMC in China.
“This partnership between Autonomic and Alibaba Cloud marks another significant milestone in our cooperation with Alibaba in China, and supports our vision of becoming the world’s most trusted mobility company,” said Ford’s Fleet. “Working with Alibaba, we aim to help shape the future of mobility in one of the world’s largest and most dynamic markets.”
Last December, Ford and Alibaba signed a Letter of Intent, agreeing to jointly explore a variety of areas of cooperation including mobility services, connectivity, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and digital marketing as an effort to revolutionize consumers’ mobility experiences in China.
