A Legacy of Innovation
As one of the first automobile companies on the planet, Ford Motor Company was born on the leading edge—and remains there today. By the early aughts, leadership was well aware that technology, environmental, and consumer trends were about to upend the automobile market as we’d known it. Not content to sit on the sidelines, leadership understood that, if they wanted to remain ahead of the curve, they would be well served to extend Ford’s Research & Advanced Engineering organization, which, at the time, had an office in Dearborn, Michigan and one in Aachen, Germany. Naturally, the company sought its next location in the very place from which the game-changing technologies were being discovered and built: Silicon Valley.
Forging Partnerships for the Future of Mobility
In 2012, Ford opened a small research office in Palo Alto. A year later, the company established an alliance with Stanford University engineering students to facilitate research and development. In due time, research was yielding insights that demanded growth and a larger office—and one that would enhance the company’s recruitment and expansion efforts. The Research and Innovation Center Palo Alto opened its doors in Stanford Research Park in 2015.
From its home in Stanford Research Park, Ford has been able to deepen its connection with Stanford University, as well as accelerate the Ford Smart Mobility plan to develop innovative technologies and experiments in five key areas: mobility, connectivity, customer experience, autonomous vehicles, and data and analytics. They’ve also been able to grow and forge new connections and partnerships, scout new technologies, and collaborate to develop solutions for future mobility challenges. With more than 100 researchers, engineers, and scientists on staff on site in the Research Park, Ford now has one of the largest automotive research centers in Silicon Valley.
Cars Are Computers as Much as They Are Transportation Vehicles
Automobiles are increasingly becoming mechanical machines with a digital soul. Data may soon eclipse horsepower, and the automobile as we know it may soon become a thing of the past. Many of these changes have already been realized, and a number of the automotive companies paving the way—including Ford—are located right here in Stanford Research Park.