Ford and Google Partner to Reinvent the Connected Vehicle Experience

Ford chose Google as its preferred cloud provider, using Google’s data, AI and ML expertise.

Ford and Google come together in first-of-its-kind partnership to create unique services and capabilities for Ford and Lincoln customers, and to accelerate Ford’s transformation plan. (Image courtesy of Ford.)

Ford and Google collaborating to produce unique services for Ford and Lincoln customers. (Image courtesy of Ford.)

Recently, Ford and Google announced a strategic partnership to accelerate Ford’s transformation by leveraging Google’s tools and expertise in big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). The goal is to reinvent the connected vehicle experience and bring vehicles into a new era.

Beating out various other cloud-computing competitors, such as Microsoft Cloud and Amazon Web Services, this six-year partnership, beginning in 2023, will equip every vehicle across Ford and Lincoln with Android, Google and service apps built in.

“As Ford continues the most profound transformation in our history with electrification, connectivity and self-driving, Google and Ford coming together establishes an innovation powerhouse truly able to deliver a superior experience for our customers and modernize our business,” said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO.

The hope is that these two titans of industry and innovation, which both ushered new eras within their respective fields, will once again re-invent the way people think about the automotive experience.

The interior of a 2021 Ford Mustang. Ford will pay Google license fees for every car sold starting in 2023. (Image courtesy of Ford.)

The interior of a 2021 Ford Mustang. Ford will pay Google license fees for every car sold starting in 2023. (Image courtesy of Ford.)

While it seems like one of the primary goals of this partnership is the customer experience, the partnership will leverage data analytics to provide Ford direct feedback. The automotive company will use this information to improve future offerings by understanding what these vehicles actually go through in their everyday use and highlight possible areas for improvement.

Alphabet (aka Google) was chosen over competing cloud services, despite Ford traditionally having ties with Microsoft. Part of the reason for the switch from Microsoft to Google was due to the comprehensive nature of the services that Alphabet offers.

While Microsoft provided many of Google’s previous technological needs, that relationship was more transactional. The new partnership between Google and Ford is about mutual growth and understanding, with the companies trading engineers and various domain experts between each other to explore the digital services that can be developed for customers. For example, Ford and Google are establishing Team Upshift, a collaborative group that will work on pushing the boundaries of Ford’s transformation to maximize the opportunities offered by this partnership.

“This is a first-of-a-kind in terms of an across-Alphabet partnership,” said Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud CEO. “It’s a really strategic one because it links all the elements: The experience people have in the cars while they’re driving, the experience they have in the front office, the transformation of manufacturing and supply chain, and the modernization of the IT system.”

The initial plans for the implementation of Google’s technologies into Ford vehicles envision the improvement of customer experience with differentiated technologies and personalized services based on the data that the company can gather. A more personalized experience is sure to keep customers coming back.

The data, however, will not just be used as a direct sales tool but will also help accelerate the modernization of the product development cycle from R&D to manufacturing to supply chain management. By implementing various IoT solutions that are embedded in the Google Cloud, Ford will be able to improve its performance with real-time data, thus increasing the reliability of its vehicles and employee performance.

This partnership will also bring in the Android operating system and integrate it within Ford’s vehicles. This will offer Ford owners access to the parts of the Google suite that would be useful while driving while also offering the opportunity for the development of third-party apps for an even more personalized vehicle experience. Google’s Assistant will allow drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road while they control various parts of their vehicle and its on-board computer system. The integration, of course, will make Ford’s primary navigation rely on Google Maps, which will include features including real-time traffic information, lane guidance and automatic rerouting.Ford’s partnership with Google is part of a long-term plan for a more modern vehicle experience.

Ford sells roughly 6 million vehicles a year. That’s 36 million Android-equipped vehicles all using Google’s technology. Android OS already controls about 70 percent of the mobile operating system market, and this partnership is sure to sway at least some potential mobile customers to switch to Google to get a more integrated technology experience without the need to switch systems or rely on additional conversion tools. While Apple CarPlay has been offered as a feature by various manufacturers, including Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, Honda, Volkswagen and Ford, the partnership between Google and Ford is more encompassing than what Apple CarPlay can offer and will be able to offer a fuller product experience.

It’s worth noting that this is merely the first major vehicle manufacturer to fully adopt the Alphabet ecosystem. Others within the industry will surely be monitoring its successes. By partnering with the best-selling vehicle manufacturer in North America, Google is hoping to widen its customer base and share of the market even further while being able to provide B2B services and analytics, which will help raise the level of Ford’s services by giving the company additional focus and insights. With the Automotive OS market set to grow to over $4.5 billion by 2026, Google is once again a step ahead of the game.