The Transformation of Ford Motor Company

Abstract

Transformation of the mobility industry With increasing globalization and urbanization, space in urban areas is very limited and air quality is decreasing because of fossil fuelled engines. Since the invention of the automobile in the early 1900’s, the automotive industry currently faces their biggest disruption so far. With automation, digitization and electrification, the automotive industry can offer Mobility as a Service in collaboration with other mobility providers. Transformation of Ford Currently, Ford’s value to the ecosystem is the product (vehicle). In order to offer Mobility as a Service, Ford needs to work together with other stakeholders in the mobility ecosystem. Only then, users can experience the efficiency of shared mobility from A to B. Moreover, if Ford is able to collaborate with other mobility providers and stakeholders of the ecosystem, space in urban environments can be regained, giving the streets back to the community. This fits with Ford’s vision of democratizing mobility. Design approach In order to achieve this, I have emerged myself in the complex ecosystem of mobility and found different variables that are of influence when designing for urban mobility. I interviewed experts in the field of new mobility solutions and visited multiple stakeholders of the mobility ecosystem in order to formulate a founded vision on urban mobility (see one of the figures in the attachment bellow). From this vision, I subtracted new strategic mobility solutions for Ford in order to anticipate for the future ecosystem of urban mobility. Scope The scope for the assignment is Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Eindhoven has a car friendly infrastructure and is relatively small enough for quick iterative testing of new technologies with the automotive campus nearby. Also, stakeholder position possitive towards mobility initiatives. Finally, Eindhoven is also far ahead compared to other European cities in Smart Mobility initiatives. Envisioning the future of urban mobility The method of ‘Visual Thinking’ is used in order to communicate my vision for future urban mobility. This vision is iterated with stakeholders and validated with Ford. The visualization of the vision has several layers of information (see vision in attachment). 1. Car metaphor (rear-view mirror is the past, inside the car is the present, in the window in the future) 2. Urban zones (zone A: Downtown, zone B: Pre-war, zone C: Suburbs) 3. Dominant transportation modes (zone A: walking, zone B: biking, zone C: driving) 4. Mobility users (people transport, goods & services, construction & maintenance) Strategic mobility solutions for Ford From this vision I created multiple mobility solutions. Finally, I recommend the three most viable, desirable and feasible solutions: 1. First and last mile transportation in collaboration with busses; 2. Dedicated autonomous areas; 3. Autonomous goods delivery. These solutions perfectly t Ford’s vision of democratizing mobility and enable Ford to implement emerging mobility technologies correctly and prepare itself for the transformation of the mobility industry.