OEM INTERVIEW “We’re going to have to learn to talk more about platforms and what they really mean” to production. That’s the benefit. We’re going to have to learn to talk more about platforms and what they really mean, and where the differences are between the platforms, between products, because that will set up how clever the vehicle is.” Catalog set Palmer says that Ford has created a “catalog set” of screen and input device controls, including a steering wheel, for the developers to work with. “There will only be a few of those so that they can make them absolutely optimal. Even if we do change them, they’ll change a little bit in size and shape, not fundamentally how they work.” On the hardware side, Ford plans to keep a separate processor for anything safety-related, such as the drive system, ADAS and self-driving, with another responsible for the “main car” – an interesting shift in terminology, considering that the mechanical components were traditionally seen as the heart of the car. By simulating the hardware, the software can be developed in parallel. “I’m a student myself of amazing hardware and software development in this context,” Palmer admits (see Cross fertilization , page 33). “I’m learning from some of the best in the industry who do still separate the two. Obviously, they need to talk to each other, and we want control over both aspects – more like a Mac than a PC. You can control more of the total experience if you have control over both. We’ll own all of that. 34 MARCH 2024 TOP: Ford believes technology features such as BlueCruise are central to the appeal of future vehicles ABOVE: The OEM recently altered its EV outlook to reflect the uncertain market situation, but it is still pressing ahead with a new generation of EVs ABOVE RIGHT: The Mustang Mach-E is one of Ford’s first technology-focused cars, and there are plenty more to come “We have people like Robert Bedichek developing hardware. He’s done a lot of work with Intel, Apple and many others. Then we have software leaders who have worked at Apple and Google and those companies. They’re doing it their way, like a startup. Many of those people are not located in the traditional places we would have had engineers. They’re in Silicon Valley and in other places around the world where there are software hubs. Software experts are leading that [development], in a completely different way than we are used to. “We used to develop systems and bring them to market,” Palmer continues. “Now we will develop them, bring them to market and keep iterating for the next five years because that’s what customers expect. I’ve seen the beginnings [of the HMI] and it looks like no car before. It flows like no car I’ve ever had. People are going to love it.” www.AutomotiveTestingTechnologyInternational.com