Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Development
    • Development
    • IT Management
    • Servers

    Ford Uses Google Prediction API to Build Smarter Cars

    By
    Clint Boulton
    -
    May 13, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Ford Motor Company is using Google’s Prediction API to improve energy efficiency in its cars, the company said.

      The Prediction API is a tool developers can use to, for example, write applications that recommend content such as movies or target key customers. The tool leverages Google’s massive cloud of servers and storage.

      At Google I/O in San Francisco May 11, Ford said the API could be used to gauge driver behavior and tune car controls to boost fuel or hybrid-electric efficiencies.

      Specifically, Ford is using the prediction software to study driving history, including where a driver has traveled and at what time of day, over the prior two-year period.

      Using this driving history, which would be completely voluntary, Ford believes it will be able to divine where a driver is headed at the time of his or her departure.

      The motor vehicle maker said it will be able to enable the car to “optimize itself” for the route, thus preserving fuel and/or electricity.

      Ryan McGee, technical expert of vehicle controls architecture and algorithm design for Ford Research and Innovation, explained how this works at I/O, albeit on a screen slide show rather than an actual vehicle.

      When a vehicle owner opts in to use the service, an encrypted driver data usage profile is built based on routes and time of travel.

      When a driver starts the car, Google Prediction software will compare the driver’s historical driving behavior with current time of day and location to predict the most likely destination and how to optimize driving performance to and from that location.

      Then, an on-board computer might ask the driver if he or she is going to work. If the driver replied in the affirmative, the car’s computer would kick in a powertrain control strategy for the trip.

      For example, a predicted route could include an area restricted to electric-only driving, where upon a plug-in hybrid vehicle could program itself to prescript energy usage over the total distance of the route in order to preserve enough battery power to switch to all-electric mode when traveling.

      In addition to being useful for electric and hybrid vehicles, Ford said it could be used for vehicles operating in “low emission zones,” where electric and low-emission vehicles would be allowed to ride in certain zones.

      The idea, currently being tested in London, Stockholm and Berlin, is designed to preserve the environment and cut down on traffic. If a vehicle could predict exactly when it might be entering such a zone, it could program itself to comply with regulations, such as switching the engine to all-electric mode.

      How the Prediction API would play with Ford’s current Sync navigation and traffic information system, which also leverages the cloud to facilitate communication between vehicles, computers and drivers, is unclear.

      Ford’s embrace of Google’s Prediction API comes one year after rival General Motors at Google I/O 2010 added navigation features for its Chevrolet Volt application that help users track their vehicles using cars on Google Maps and search for destinations on Android smartphones.

      Clint Boulton

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×