_{image courtesy of autoblog.com}

As all the techno boffins flock to San Francisco this week for Google's infamous I/O developer conference, Ford has announced that they will be utilizing Google's new Prediction API system to increase the efficiency of commuting by car and to decrease travel time.

The main uses of the Prediction API system are more for obtaining locations but Ford has proposed that they want to use the system for driver analysis, which means monitoring driving patterns and habits, routes and finally optimizing the route depending on traffic conditions and the weather. Their main aim is to reduce carbon emissions and travel time but Ford is aiming to integrate the Prediction API into its electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. By storing all this information in a cloud and directing drivers to the most efficient routes possible, Ford says that this may reduce the range anxiety that electric vehicle owners have.

Look at the diagram above to see what Ford's idea is all about!