Ford is planning to integrate Apple software into its next-generation fleet of electric vehicles, which will in turn help power hands-free driving technology.

Apple and Ford announced Thursday that Apple Maps will be included in the automakers’ new Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform through the use of Apple’s MapKit for Automotive SDK. Ford’s UEV will debut with a mid-size electric in 2027, and buyers won’t need a separate Apple subscription to use the software in the vehicle.

The UEV will harness that tech to give drivers turn-by-turn directions with the use of natural language, giving them real-time traffic and incident information, as well as a search function that uses detailed place cards and routing options.

The partnership will also see Ford use road-level data from Apple Maps in the development of the company’s next-generation BlueCruise hands-free driving capability, as well as its in-house autonomous driving tech.

Apple’s MapKit for Automotive SDK provides road-level information to help automakers develop self-driving technologies, and the company said the tool uses the same privacy practices as Apple Maps – noting that it doesn’t collect users’ location details and activity in a way that can be linked to the individual user.

“Apple Maps delivers the best map experience in the world, and we’re excited to bring the power of Maps’ navigation technology to Ford’s innovative Universal Electric Vehicle Platform,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s SVP of services and health.

“With our new MapKit for Automotive SDK, we’re bringing Maps further into drivers’ daily lives, giving them an incredibly accurate and easy-to-use navigation system that is seamlessly integrated into Ford vehicles,” Cue added.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said that the company’s next midsize EV will be priced around $30,000 and “redefines what advanced technology can be – simple, useful, and truly attainable for more customers.”

“We’re proud to embed Apple Maps’ navigation and mapping technology directly into our Universal Electric Vehicle Platform alongside our Ford app, a full suite of software, and next-generation BlueCruise, all enabled by a new zonal architecture,” Farley said.

“Apple Maps has delivered a world-class product, and we’re honored to be among the first to embed it directly into a vehicle, helping define intuitive, capable driving,” he added.

Latitude AI, Ford’s wholly owned subsidiary focused on autonomous driving, is developing the company’s in-house advanced driving system. The Ford Large Driving Model supports a range of self-driving capabilities and has been derived from millions of miles of real-world driving data, the company said.

Ford and Latitude are designing both the hardware and software to be easily scalable across the automaker’s lineup of vehicles.

The company indicated that work “is vital to Ford and Latitude’s mission of democratizing autonomy and delivering a compelling experience at an attainable price point on the UEV Platform.”