Ford to build Apple Maps into its next EV platform and BlueCruise
Ford says Apple Maps will power onboard navigation on its Universal EV Platform and supply map data for the next BlueCruise hands-free system.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Ford is bringing Apple Maps into the core software of its next electric vehicle platform, giving future drivers built-in navigation that does not depend on an iPhone. Ford said the agreement also extends to BlueCruise, its hands-free highway driver-assist system.
Ford said Thursday that Apple Maps will be integrated directly into its Universal Electric Vehicle Platform. The platform is due to debut with a midsize electric pickup that Ford has said will start at $30,000 and arrive in 2027.
According to Ford, the built-in navigation system will provide spoken route guidance, live traffic and incident updates, search tools with detailed information about destinations, and multiple route choices. The company said the system will run in the vehicle itself, rather than requiring a connected iPhone.
Ford said the Apple Maps integration will also support electric-vehicle-specific trip planning. That includes intelligent EV routing and battery preconditioning, features meant to help the vehicle prepare for charging during a planned trip.
CarPlay is not being removed as part of the change, according to Ford. The company said Apple’s phone-projection system will remain available in its vehicles even as Apple Maps becomes part of the native software on the new EV platform.
BlueCruise gets Apple map data
Ford also said it is working with Apple on the next version of BlueCruise. The company said the driver-assist system will use Apple Maps road-level information to support hands-free driving on highways.
Ford described the goal as a highway experience that can cover the trip from the on-ramp to the off-ramp. The company did not give additional technical details in the announcement beyond the role of Apple Maps data.
BlueCruise is separate from the unsupervised system Ford is developing through its Latitude AI team. Ford said Latitude AI continues to work on an eyes-off driving system, which the company expects to have ready in 2028.
The Apple Maps deal ties two parts of Ford’s EV strategy together: the software experience in the vehicle and the driver-assist features meant to operate on mapped roads. Ford’s announcement centers those features on the Universal Electric Vehicle Platform, the architecture it plans to use for its lower-cost electric models.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.