Speaking at the 2012 Mobile World Congress, Bill Ford, the
executive chairman of Ford Motors, outlined a plan for
“connected cars” to help avoid crippling traffic congestion
by mid-21st century. Connected cars are vehicles linked to
various mobile networks and intelligent systems and capable
of M2M communication.
Need for Intelligence on the Road
Imagine roads with four times as many vehicles. That’s the
forecast—an increase in the number of cars on the world’s
roads from one billion in 2013 to four billion by 2050. To avoid
the global risk of overcrowded roads, Bill Ford proposes
creating an intelligent global transportation network that
integrates communication between vehicles, a transport infrastructure,
and individual mobile devices. He said:
If we do nothing, we face the prospect of “global
gridlock,” a never-ending traffic jam that wastes
time, energy and resources and even compromises
the flow of commerce and health care.
Cross-Industry Collaboration Needed
for Success
In order for his proposed solution to succeed, the automotive
and telecommunications industries need to cooperate; and
their engineers and IT experts will need to collaborate. New
networking technologies and business relationships are critical
to success. Ford explained:
No one company or industry will be able to solve the
mobility issue alone and the speed at which solutions
take hold will be determined largely by customer
acceptance of new technologies. The telecommunications
industry is critical in the creation of an interconnected
transportation system where cars are
intelligent and can talk to one another as well as the
infrastructure around them. Now is the time for us all
to be looking at vehicles on the road the same way
we look at smartphones, laptops and tablets; as
pieces of a much bigger, richer network.
IT solutions are already tackling traffic congestion problems
and shaping what transportation will look like in 2025
and beyond.
CASE 2 BUSINESS CASE
Avoiding a Future of Crippling Car Congestion
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110 Chapter 4 Networks, Collaboration, and Sustainability
Ford’s “Blueprint for Mobility” Plan
Under the banner “Blueprint for Mobility,” Bill Ford detailed
what it will take to make congestion-free motoring—or at least
congestion-controlled—a reality in the coming decades, utilizing
a combination of connected cars, connected roadways,
and a totally redesigned mobile infrastructure.
In the short term, within five to seven years, Ford Motors
will be developing more intuitive in-car mobile communications
options and driver interfaces that alert drivers to traffic
jams, accidents, and other road conditions warranting attention.
The company is also working on M2M communication
projects, such as vehicle-to-vehicle warning systems.
In the long term, Ford sees a radically different transportation
landscape where pedestrian, bicycle, private car,
commercial, and public transportation traffic will be woven
into a single mobile network to save time, conserve resources,
lower CO2 emissions, and improve safety.
Bill Ford also suggests that connected cars should be
about making journeys more efficient by providing alternative
transportation options if congestion is unavoidable.
Sources: Compiled from Mobileworldcongress.com/ (2012) and
various blogs (2012).
Questions
1. Explain the concept of connected cars.
2. Why does Bill Ford see a need for connected cars?
3. What does Ford mean by “global gridlock”?
4. Brainstorm a few other ways in which an IT network could
help to reduce global gridlock. Do not limit yourself to
current mobile network capabilities.
5. If no action is taken far in advance of the forecasted car
congestion, what do you foresee will happen?