{"id":52825,"date":"2015-07-15T09:48:53","date_gmt":"2015-07-15T16:48:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/?p=52825"},"modified":"2015-08-26T08:45:19","modified_gmt":"2015-08-26T15:45:19","slug":"further-with-ford-2015-day-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/further-with-ford-2015-day-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Further With Ford 2015 \u2013 Overview and Day 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"dnote_05\"<\/p>\n

Recently I had the pleasure of attending the 2015 Further with Ford Conference in Palo Alto, California. I\u2019m in heaven because I\u2019m at the heart of Silicon Valley, near some of my favorite companies (Google, HP, Cisco, Facebook, Apple) and I get to learn about cars and technology.<\/p>\n

\"Cars<\/p>\n

2015 Further with Ford Conference<\/h3>\n

Further with Ford is only in its fifth year but has turned into one of Ford\u2019s largest media events outside of dedicated automotive car shows. The Further with Ford conference is unique in that it brings together numerous experts and around 250 journalists and media personalities from around the world to showcase where the company is going and to explain some of the trends that helps drive the company as it moves into the future. This event is also used to present some of Ford\u2019s current technology improvements, future technology and how Ford plans on solving some of the common issues facing consumers.<\/p>\n

\"Cars<\/p>\n

What\u2019s great about Further with Ford is that it\u2019s unlike other automotive media events I have attended in the past. It’s a similar experience to a technology boot camp which I have taken many times in the San Francisco Bay Area. What excited me most about this conference? It wasn\u2019t being able to touch and see the latest Ford GT super car or test driving new vehicles like the 435HP 2015 Mustang GT (although both were VERY cool). It was seeing how forward-thinking Ford has become, not only as an automotive company but as a technology one. This is why Ford has opened up research and innovation centers around the world these past few years. Then, in early 2015, Ford expanded the Research and Innovation Center in Silicon Valley to focus on connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, customer experience, and big data.<\/p>\n

It was really a no-brainer that Ford started to think and behave like a technology company. Ford even runs the Silicon Valley research facility like a technology startup. Exit Ford the auto manufacture. Enter Ford the future thinking technology company.<\/p>\n

Day 1 – Smart Mobility Highlights<\/h3>\n

Our first day started off with a keynote from Mark Fields<\/a>, CEO of Ford. Ford recognizes that the world, at its current growth rate, will at some point have so many people that the very way we think about transportation will have to change. Ford also recognizes that many individuals (especially younger generations) don\u2019t buy vehicles for the same reasons previous generations have. Thus Ford\u2019s attention is\u00a0on\u00a0flexible use and ownership and is\u00a0investing in multimodal urban transportation technology.<\/p>\n

\"Cars<\/p>\n