Ford has just opened a research and innovation centre in Palo Alto, California, near the home of technology giants such as Apple, Microsoft, Tesla Motors, and Google. The goal is to accelerate the development of technologies and experiments in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, customer experience, and big data.
The all-new Research and Innovation Center Palo Alto joins Ford’s global network of research and innovation centers, which include its location in Dearborn, Michigan (advanced electronics, human-machine interface, materials science, big data and analytics) and a facility in Aachen, Germany (next-generation powertrain research, driver-assist technologies, and active safety systems).
With the new California base, Ford expects to have one of the largest automotive manufacturer research centres in Silicon Valley by the end of the year, with 125 researchers, engineers, and scientists. The team will be led by Dragos Maciuca, an engineer who joins Ford from Apple with a background in consumer electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, aerospace and automotive.