Ford announces winners of ‘Innovate Mobility Challenge’ series in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai

Ford has named the latest winners in its Innovate Mobility Challenge series, a key part of Ford Smart Mobility – the first widespread implementation of the company’s long-term plan for sustainable mobility solutions.

The series is comprised of 11 global challenges in which Ford invited developers to come up with innovative solutions to mobility problems around the world. Challenges included delivering healthcare solutions in Tamil Nadu, providing real-time information to improve transportation during Monsoons in Mumbai, decrease time taken to get help after a traumatic incident in Delhi, busting traffic congestion in some of China’s most densely populated cities, and improving the delivery of goods and services in Portugal.

Winners from around the world were showcased during Ford president and CEO Mark Fields’ 2015 International CES keynote address, which outlined the company’s far-reaching plans in mobility, connectivity and autonomy to create a better world for millions of drivers all over the globe.

“Ford has been enabling personal mobility since day one. Now, more than ever before, Ford’s open-innovation approach, new technologies and a globally connected network of developers are enabling mobility solutions at an unprecedented rate,” said Mark Fields, president and CEO, Ford.

“One of the most thrilling aspects of the mobility challenges has been watching people come together from all over the world. To see people in the US getting involved with finding solutions in India or China, and vice versa, is a remarkable demonstration of what an environment of open innovation can accomplish,” said Ken Washington, vice president, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering.

“There’s no single solution for mobility challenges, which are – at their core – local issues,” said Washington. “Our goal with this series was to bring the global developer community together in the pursuit of creating a more sustainable and efficient transportation landscape for the future.”

Ford’s open-innovation approach to enabling smarter mobility solutions worldwide will continue in 2015, with an upcoming mobility app challenge in Australia. With the third-lowest population density in the world, Australia poses a unique set of challenges for drivers. Innovators are being asked to create vehicle accessories that help drivers stay aware in remote areas where assistance is limited, and increase self-sufficiency in the event of electrical failure, dangerous road conditions and inclement weather. The winner of the Australia Accessory Challenge will be announced in early 2015.

Ford’s Innovate Mobility Challenge series has already received more than 400 submissions from around the world.