Ford Motor Co. is collaborating with the high-powered brains at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to help tackle some of the biggest future transportation problems they foresee, such as global gridlock.
"We want to try to solve the problems that matter," said MIT professor John Leonard. "We want the world to bring the problems to our doorstep so we can try to solve them."
Leornard is principal investigator for the Ford/MIT Alliance, which is now in its 15th year.
"MIT is clearly at the very top level," said Ed Krause, Ford's global manager for external alliances. "MIT does a great job blending theoretical research and practical research."
The transition to electric and hybrid vehicles isn't an issue, as far as the alliance is concerned. "We can sort of see our way to that solution," Krause said.
Instead, the alliance is primarily focusing on problems that have barely presented themselves, such as global gridlock.
Rooted in the idea that developing countries such as China and India will eventually be overrun with cars, Ford — surprisingly — is trying to find a solution.
"Increasing amounts of people and wealth are going to end up in these cities. How is that going to change how people move and how goods move?" Krause said. "If there's a huge traffic jam, how are you going to get ambulances somewhere?"
One way to help address the issue is by designing a new transportation system. MIT professor Cynthia Barnhart is working on a solution that "integrates vehicle-sharing and public transportation systems. The goal is to provide users with end-to-end transportation while helping to alleviate gridlock," Leonard said.
Global gridlock is an issue that Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford, is especially passionate about. He has given a number of talks on global gridlock, including one at the high-profile TED Talks series, Krause and Leonard said.
Researchers from MIT have also worked on other projects, including making batteries more efficient and analyzing the business of selling cars to make it more efficient.
"They really run the gamut of all sorts of different things," Leonard said.
One added benefit is the research that comes from MIT has real-world use.
"Our alliance with Ford and other major companies give us this grounding in real-world and practical problems," Leonard said. "It's a way for our work to have impact."
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