Ford Uses Google For A New Type Of Smart Car

Ford is using Google technology, specifically its Prediction API, to create a new brand of smart cars.

The famous American car company announced it's teaming up with Google to use Prediction API in future cars. The API will be able to use historical driving data and turn it into real time predictions, such as where a driver is headed at the time of a departure. The API uses Google's machine learning algorithms to make smarter apps smarter.

The Google Prediction API allows us to utilize information that an individual driver creates over time and make that information actionable, Ryan McGee, a technical expert in Vehicle Controls Architecture and Algorithm Design at Ford Research and Innovation, said in a statement Between Google Prediction and our own research, we are discovering ways to make information work for the driver and help deliver optimal vehicle performance.

This week, Ford presented how Google Prediction API could alter the performance of a plug-in hybrid vehicle at Google I/O developer's conference. In this circumstance, a driver would use the service and an encrypted data usage profile would be built on routes and time of travel. Once the vehicle stars, Google Prediction would use the historical driving data and time of day, to figure out the likely destination and how to optimize driving performance in this circumstance.

From there, an on-board computer might communicate with the driver, and trigger an optimized power-train control strategy. For an electric car, a predicted route of travel could include an area restricted to electric only driving. Thus, a plug-in hybrid would be able to optimize energy and preserve battery by switching to an all electric mode during travel.

Once the destination is confirmed, the vehicle would have instant access to a variety of real-time information so it can optimize its performance, even against factors that the driver may not be aware of, such as an EV-only zone, said McGee.

More than just predicting where someone is going, this Google based technology could help maintain fuel efficiency and drivability. It could even help drivers deal with regulatory matters, such as driving in low emission zones. Naturally, as with any technology that involves location data, Ford is well aware of the security and privacy risks involved with it.

We realize that the nature of this research includes the use of personal data and location awareness, something we are committed to protecting for our customers in everything we do. A key component of this project is looking at how to develop secure personal profiles that will ensure appropriate levels of protection and specific data use only by the driver and the vehicle to deliver the best driving experience, Johannes Kristinsson, a system architect at Ford Research and Innovation, said in a statement.

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