Skip to main content

Ford partners with What3words to offer precise navigation

Ford has joined forces with geocoding start-up What3words to offer its drivers in North America and Europe with more precise navigation. What3words, a global addressing system, divides the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and assigns each a three-word address made up dictionary words. Ford says its drivers will be able to enter destinations by voice or text for any location, including destinations without an address. Ford drivers will be able to connect the company’s SYNC 3 infotainment plat
February 27, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
278 Ford has joined forces with geocoding start-up What3words to offer its drivers in North America and Europe with more precise navigation.


What3words, a global addressing system, divides the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and assigns each a three-word address made up dictionary words.

Ford says its drivers will be able to enter destinations by voice or text for any location, including destinations without an address.  

Ford drivers will be able to connect the company’s SYNC 3 infotainment platform with the Whats3words app, available on iOS and Android devices. They can then input a three word address to navigate to a precise 3m x 3m square.

Don Butler, executive director, connected vehicle platform and product, at Ford, says the solution can be used by commercial vehicle drivers working from a mobile office and those driving for leisure.

What3words is available for Ford drivers in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, the US and Mexico. More locations are expected to follow later this year.

Related Content

  • August 7, 2019
    Videalert: Bath experience highlights joined-up thinking
    Councils can achieve greater value with multi-purpose traffic enforcement and management platforms, says Tim Daniels of Videalert. But UK authorities could also help deliver solutions by committing to ‘joined up thinking’... Joined-up thinking’ used to be a commonly related governmental phrase and implied a commitment to looking at elements of a problem to deliver a holistic solution. However, the way that successive governments have addressed major issues has demonstrated their inability to achieve join
  • September 9, 2016
    Ford teams up with Techstars Mobility start-ups
    The Ford Motor Company is to collaborate with three 2016 Techstars Mobility start-ups, Spatial, HAAS Alert and Cargo, to pursue next-generation mobility solutions, including navigation, connectivity and ride-sharing initiatives. Spatial is a Cincinnati-based company that provides a dynamic, human-driven layer of social intelligence to create mapping and navigation. Chicago-based HAAS Alert is a connected notification platform that warns motorists when emergency vehicles are approaching, while Cargo, a New Y
  • March 1, 2013
    DriveWyze wireless Preclear system speeds weighstation waiting
    Drivewyze aims to revolutionise the way weighstation bypass systems work with its Pre-Clear system. And it’s not just looking at weighstations, either… Pete Goldin reports. Truck drivers know the drill: pull off the high­way at every weighstation and wait. Carriers know the drill, too: every minute spent waiting there translates directly into dollars lost. Traditionally, the only alternative to this scenario is a transponder-based system, which allows trucks to bypass the sites using technology similar to
  • June 4, 2015
    Greenowl brings bespoke traveller information one step closer
    Greenowl’s voice-only congestion warning smartphone app alerts drivers to problems ahead and could be the way ahead for traffic information. If there is one point Matt Man, CEO of Canadian company Greenowl, wants to make clear from the start, it is that his company’s app is not a navigation system. He says: “Our system does not direct drivers to their destination because we mainly focus on commuters who know how to get to where they are going and only need information about any delays and incidents ahead of