The future is as blurry as the photo…
Ford Motor Company and Newlab, a self-proclaimed community of experts and innovators, today announced five startups that will participate in the inaugural cohort of the Mobility Studio. Mobility studio is a new program focused on supporting the advancement of technologies, product collaborations and business models that advance a cleaner transportation future. The program lives within Michigan Central, a new mobility innovation district being developed by Ford. (Ford Begins Construction at Michigan Central Station)
“Together, Ford and Newlab are building upon our nation’s goal of reducing carbon emissions and the effects of climate change by advancing commercial fleet electrification,” said Matt Stover, director of charging and energy services, Ford Motor Company.
Newlab and Ford selected the following companies from a pool of global applicants to participate in the Mobility Studio’s first cohort and help address major challenges faced by fleets as they consider transitioning to electric vehicles, such as connected fleet management, supporting drivers at home, multi-use charging hubs and vehicle-to-everything applications:
- Autofleet: Autofleet is a vehicle-as-a-service platform allowing companies, organizations and municipalities to optimize vehicle fleet management, launch new mobility services with their existing vehicles, and plan and design strategic shifts in operations, such as electrification. The platform centrally optimizes fleet operations, breaking the dependence on driver decision making, and is designed to achieve the benefits of an autonomous fleet, starting today with traditional vehicles. Autofleet has partnered with Avis-Budget Group, Zipcar, Revel and Keolis, and manages tens of thousands of vehicles in more than 12 countries.
- EVPassport: EVPassport is an electric vehicle charging company that is establishing a distributed fleet charging network incorporating multi-unit dwellings through a cloud-based, application programming interface-driven hardware and software platform. Fleet owners can now pay for charging sessions at multiunit dwellings, while allowing drivers to charge any electric vehicle without requiring a separate app, account or top-up balance.
- Fermata Energy: Fermata lets electric vehicles receive power from and provide power back to the grid and to buildings by integrating software and hardware options. It claims to turn electric vehicles into energy storage assets that combat climate change and lower cost of ownership.
- Rhombus Energy Solutions: Dearborn, Michigan-based Rhombus develops new electric grid infrastructure, energy distribution and management systems to speed the adoption of electric vehicles. Rhombus builds bidirectional charging networks for electric passenger cars and high-power electric fleets – such as buses, garbage trucks and delivery vehicles – along with energy management software, power conversion, storage systems and microgrid applications to use clean energy distribution capabilities of electric vehicles.
- SparkCharge: “Currently,” by SparkCharge, a charging-as-a-service platform, is a mobile, on-demand electric vehicle charging network “built to make charging easy while addressing gaps in the charging infrastructure.” Through the company’s mobile app, Currently, subscribers can have the charge delivered to their vehicle with SparkCharge’s portable, modular charging unit, The Roadie. Currently is operating in Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with plans to expand to several more cities. You can download Currently for both iOS and Android.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Ford, Newlab Announce Five Cleaner Transportation Startups
The future is as blurry as the photo…
Ford Motor Company and Newlab, a self-proclaimed community of experts and innovators, today announced five startups that will participate in the inaugural cohort of the Mobility Studio. Mobility studio is a new program focused on supporting the advancement of technologies, product collaborations and business models that advance a cleaner transportation future. The program lives within Michigan Central, a new mobility innovation district being developed by Ford. (Ford Begins Construction at Michigan Central Station)
“Together, Ford and Newlab are building upon our nation’s goal of reducing carbon emissions and the effects of climate change by advancing commercial fleet electrification,” said Matt Stover, director of charging and energy services, Ford Motor Company.
Newlab and Ford selected the following companies from a pool of global applicants to participate in the Mobility Studio’s first cohort and help address major challenges faced by fleets as they consider transitioning to electric vehicles, such as connected fleet management, supporting drivers at home, multi-use charging hubs and vehicle-to-everything applications:
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.