Now that many of us take most of our meetings online, the perfect meeting space looks a little different than it did a few years ago.
The ideal setup for collaborating with colleagues would be far from interference from kids or roommates. It would have excellent sound insulation, good speakers, and a large screen to view your coworkers on. The ideal home offices would have a camera at just the right distance to capture your face but not too much of your body, and you’d be able to control the lighting and shade windows from the sun as needed.
It would have a comfortable seat. Maybe even a massage function. Great speakers to hear the proceedings. Climate control. And a 60,000-mile powertrain warranty.
Wait, what?
Manage a Webinar From the Car
That’s right. We’re describing a car. At least, that’s where Ford thinks you should be prepared to take meetings.
We’re used to seeing car companies collaborate with stereo makers, design studios, and even tech companies to create their new cars. But Ford has announced a team-up we didn’t see coming — the Michigan-based automaker is working with meeting software company Cisco to turn its lineup of electric vehicles (EVs) into ideal spaces to do business.
Upcoming Ford EVs, including the F-150 Lightning electric pickup, will have Cisco’s WebEx technology embedded in their infotainment systems. Drivers will be able to set up and moderate meetings with voice commands.
The system will operate in audio-only mode unless the vehicle is parked to prevent distracted driving. It can filter out cabin sounds to prevent other attendees from finding your work setting distracting.
Trucks, Vans Often Double as Offices
While the EV aspect of the collaboration may be new, it’s not unusual for office productivity features to appear first in trucks and vans. Many double as mobile offices for tradespeople. Features like in-car Wi-Fi have migrated to many segments of the auto industry but made their first appearance on work vehicles.
EV-Only For Now
For now, Ford says, the effort applies just to its lineup of EVs. But there’s no reason it couldn’t work in internal combustion-powered models as well. Ford recently split its EV and gas-powered vehicles into two separate business units.
Darren Palmer, Vice President of Ford’s Electric Vehicle Programs, recently spent eight hours taking meetings in a Lightning to test the concept. He notes that it “barely touched the range of the vehicle.”
In a gas-powered car, drivers must run the entire engine to power features like climate control and infotainment systems. EVs, however, can run those systems alone — a trick that helped many survive a recent overnight traffic jam with plenty of range left over.
