BlackBerry joins self-driving car race with software platform

LAS VEGAS (Bloomberg) -- BlackBerry Ltd. laid out its plans for building autonomous car software, jumping into a race with the likes of Apple Inc., Google and Tesla Motors Inc. to capture a piece of the ballooning industry.The company’s QNX software division today showed off demo cars that can scan for obstacles, keep from straying from a highway lane and communicate wirelessly with nearby vehicles to avoid accidents, using tools developed by other software and hardware companies on the QNX operating system.QNX already is used by automakers like Ford Motor Co. to build in-car entertainment systems. BlackBerry, based in Waterloo, Ont., 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.The technology may offer an alternative for carmakers 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 2 million miles on their own and Tesla sells some cars pre-loaded with the ability to stay in a certain lane on their own.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.BlackBerry announced its plans to try to gain a piece of the autonomous car market at the 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 joins self-driving car race with software platform

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