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BlackBerry showed off cars with autonomous functions at the Consumer Electronics Show, Bloomberg reported, which is taking place this week in Las Vegas. The software scans for obstacles, prevents lane drift, and communicates with nearby cars to prevent accidents.
The company’s QNX software already is used by car makers like Ford to build in-car entertainment systems. Ontario-based BlackBerry wants to extend that model to self-driving car technology by providing a central platform that other companies can use to build their own features.
ALTERNATIVE TO APPLE AND GOOGLE
The technology may offer an alternative for car makers that are considering building their own self-driving software or partnering with Apple and Google. Still, those companies have been pouring resources into autonomous cars. Google’s vehicles have driven more than 3 million kilometres on their own and Tesla sells some cars pre-loaded with the ability to stay in a certain lane on their own.
The market is still wide open and BlackBerry shouldn’t be counted out, according to Jeremy Carlson, an automotive technology analyst at IHS. There are a lot of intermediate steps that need to happen before fully-autonomous cars hit the roads, he said.
“There’s plenty of opportunity for everyone,” Carlson said.
FOOTHOLD IN MARKET
BlackBerry’s software for in-car navigation and entertainment systems is used in more than 60 million vehicles, including as part of Ford’s Sync infotainment system. Apple and Google also have developed their own systems.
That foothold means the company has solid relationships with car manufacturers that it can build on to help them develop self-driving vehicles, Carlson said. BlackBerry announced its plans to try to gain a piece of the autonomous car market at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a technology industry gathering that has morphed into the venue for auto companies to introduce their newest innovations.
BlackBerry fell less than 1 per cent to $8.79 at 2:25 p.m. in New York. The stock fell 15 percent in 2015.
Agencies/Canadajournal
