Alibaba Announces Smart Mobility Initiatives with Automakers
On Sept. 20, Alibaba announced during the Computing Conference in Hangzhou a series of smart mobility initiatives in collaboration with automakers and technology service providers, namely Bosch, Volvo Cars and Ford.
Among them, Bosch, a leading global supplier of technology services will be working with Alibaba Cloud, the cloud-computing arm of Alibaba Group on the Automated Valet Parking (AVP) solutions in China. In simple terms, AVP is a driverless system jointly developed by Bosch and Daimler which and parks vehicles automatically by means of autonomous driving. The feat is an important step towards the future of autonomous driving.
As part of the cooperation, Bosch will provide the company’s AVP technology, experience in systems
engineering, and IoT competencies. Meanwhile, Alibaba Cloud will share its technologies
and experience in cloud computing, data analysis, and smart mobility. The two companies plan to establish showcase sites to demonstrate next-generation AVP technology throughout China.
In the meantime, Alibaba A.I. Labs, the department leading consumer AI product development at Alibaba will be partnering with Volvo Cars for car-to-home AI services. With Tmall Genie, an AI-powered
smart assistant developed by the Labs, Volvo car drivers will be able to monitor and control smart home appliances from within their vehicles. The “home model” will be turned on when the driver is 10 minutes away from home, making the smart appliances ready for their owners’ return.
Apart from this, Ford also confirmed that Ford Kuga SUV customers will be able to order the automobile with a 10.4-inch center screen and software powered by AliOS later this year. AliOS is an operating system developed by Alibaba Cloud that is specifically designed for providing IoT solutions in vehicles, home appliances, and other smart devices. As of today, there are over 500,000 Internet vehicles equipped with AliOS on the road in China.
