Ford's Universal Electric Vehicle platform will have Apple Maps built-in

Today Ford and Apple have announced that the automaker's next EV platform, Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV), will have Apple Maps built-in powering the navigation experience. This was made possible by Apple's MapKit for Automotive SDK, which Ford is using.

Apple says this SDK "enables automakers to deliver a cohesive navigation experience for drivers that is consistent with the look and feel of their vehicles", while following the same privacy principles that the Apple Maps app provides. CarPlay will continue to be available on Ford vehicles too.

The first vehicle to use the UEV is expected to arrive next year, and Ford promises that the Apple Maps integration will deliver "a beautiful and easy-to-use navigation experience" directly on the vehicle's touchscreen.

There will be turn-by-turn directions using natural language, real-time traffic and incident information, "intuitive search" with detailed place cards, as well as multiple routing options to help owners easily find the best route to their destination. Battery preconditioning will be integrated into the navigation experience too.

Road-level Apple Maps data will also enable Ford's Latitude AI team to build "a seamless hands-free driving experience". Latitude AI is Ford's wholly-owned subsidiary that employs 600 machine learning, robotics, and software experts to build the company's proprietary in-house advanced driving system.