Continental recently announced it would invest US$1m toward an initiative that will transform Columbus, Ohio into an intelligent city. Of the 78 entrants that took part in the US Department of Transportation's (DoT) Smart City Challenge, Columbus emerged the victor in June.
In 2014, Continental set up an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) subsidiary to hone technology and strategies that could improve traffic management and road safety. Having previously led Global Strategic Partnerships for Google’s Self Driving Cars programme, Seval Oz joined the Silicon Valley-based ITS headquarters as Chief Executive.
Oz has remarked that the ITS team will be ‘stepping up’ and working closely with the DoT and Columbus to provide ‘critical systems and services.’ Automotive World caught up with Oz to find out exactly how the supplier will be getting involved, and the underlying importance of establishing a smart city.
