Ford is taking its electric trucks in a different direction with the shift from the full-size F-150 Lightning to the upcoming compact Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) pickup, and the new model will be getting its directions from Apple.
Ford has announced that Apple Maps will be embedded into the UEV’s navigation system using the new Apple MapKit for Automotive SDK (Software Development Kit).
“Apple Maps delivers the best map experience in the world, and we’re excited to bring the power of Maps’ navigation technology to Ford’s innovative Universal Electric Vehicle Platform,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services and Health, said in a news release. “With our new MapKit for Automotive SDK, we’re bringing Maps further into drivers’ daily lives, giving them an incredibly accurate and easy-to-use navigation system that is seamlessly integrated into Ford vehicles.”
Read Also: FORD JUST REINVENTED THE WHEEL TO MAKE CHANGING TIRES EASIER
Apple Maps will be integrated with the Kentucky-built pickup’s drivetrain to provide EV routing functionality that takes its battery range into account and will also work with Ford’s BlueCruise semi-autonomous driving aid.
Ford is targeting a $30,000 starting price for the UEV when it goes on sale next year. Prototypes being tested on public roads reveal that it is roughly the size of a Ford Maverick pickup. Ford said it will have more interior space than a Toyota Rav4 and be as quick as a Ford Mustang with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but has not yet announced its estimated range between charges.
Read Also: FORD USED AI TO RESURRECT THE 1964 AURORA STATION WAGON OF THE FUTURE THAT COULD ‘TRANQUILIZE’ KIDS
Apple spent several years developing on an electric car of its own design, but canceled the program in 2024 to focus on supplying software to dedicated automakers.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE AMERICAN CARS AND RACING YOUTUBE CHANNEL
