- Ford’s City of Tomorrow Symposium will gather opinion leaders, academics, innovators, policy makers and visionary TED fellows to share thought provoking ideas on how to create a better tomorrow
- Ford Smart Mobility is gearing up to expand its initiatives in Asia by partnering with cities like Indore, India and Nanjing, China to explore new mobility solutions
NEW DELHI, India, September 20, 2017 – Ford Motor Company is holding the City of TomorrowSymposium in New Delhi to explore new ways of making our cities work better in the future through innovative uses of technology and collaboration between the public and private sectors.
The City of Tomorrow reflects Ford’s long-term vision to help make people’s lives better by changing the way the world moves with world-class vehicles, mobility services and a wider range of transportation solutions. As part of this strategy, Ford recently partnered with the city of Indore, signing a memorandum of understanding to work together to address their most pressing transportation issues.
The goal of the proposed collaboration is to help the Indore public transport body manage its current and planned infrastructure through better implementation of technology and data analytics. In essence, Ford will support the development of custom city transportation solutions for improved mobility in the city.
“The transportation models that exist around the world today simply will not work tomorrow. Ford has an aspiration – that urban transport systems will be free from congestion, rich in choices, and provide mobility for all,” said Rajendra Rao, CEO, Ford Smart Mobility LLC. “Breakthrough solutions are needed to achieve this. Getting there will require a leap in our collective thinking, working with cities and partners who are agents of change.”
Moving Ideas Forward
During the City of Tomorrow, discussions will cover mobility needs and their implications for the future development of cities. Rajendra Rao, CEO, Ford Smart Mobility LLC will engage in a conversation with Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog – a government initiative focused on catalyzing development.
“Forums like the City of Tomorrow are crucial in kick-starting conversations that will help find solutions for the difficult issues our cities will face in the coming years,” said Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI.
Thought leaders participating in panel discussions will include Ford’s Global Trend Manager and Futurist Sheryl Connelly, Ford Asia Pacific Business Strategy Executive Director Jeffrey Jones, NASSCOM’s Raman Roy, leading smarter cities consultant Antoni Vives, Zoomcar CEO Greg Moran and Boston Consulting Group’s Seema Bansal among other opinion leaders.
As part of its ongoing series of global discussion around the concept of mobility, the event will feature several TED fellows, including transportation expert Wannis Kabbaj, Terreform ONA co-founder Mitch Joachim, mountaineers and explorers Nungshi Malik and Tashi Malik, and Barefoot College International CEO Meagan Fallone.
Ford Smart Mobility Solutions in Asia Pacific
Understanding that cities need solutions that help ease the critical issues they face today, Ford has already launched several new smart mobility initiatives across Asia, including:
Dynamic Shuttles: Ford’s on-demand shuttle experiments in Shanghai have built a solid foundation of designing and refining optimization algorithms to improve transportation efficiency. In a partnership with authorities in the Nanjing Jiangning Development Zone, Ford will launch an enterprise shuttle program in Nanjing, China that will offer dynamic optimized routes for employees of businesses operating in the development zone. Later this year Ford will also begin offering shuttle service pilots for employees at its Nanjing and Chennai campuses to improve commuter experiences.
Car Sharing: In India, Ford has invested in Zoomcar, India’s leading car sharing company, as part of its expansion into the mobility space. Zoomcar was recognized as one of India’s most innovative companies by Fast Company magazine for revolutionizing personal transportation to shared mobility to creatively utilize vehicles when idle.
Creative Spaces: Since innovative approaches to mobility require new ways of thinking, Ford will open a new Smart Mobility Innovation Hub in Chennai, where an open-plan office will bring together Ford’s Global-Data-Insight-Analytics and Information Technology teams to harness creativity and explore new data-driven approaches to solving mobility problems.
Traffic Management: In Vietnam, Ford will provide 50 traffic cameras for the Smart Camera System in Da Nang, which will enable authorities to collect data that will inform traffic management, heighten safety, and inform long-term planning.
Valuing Collaboration for a Greener Future
Ford’s City Solutions team is constantly finding ways to collaborate with authorities and citizens worldwide to help create cities that are greener, less congested and less polluted. Only by valuing inclusivity and collaboration can a better City of Tomorrow that works for everyone become a reality.
