The US Patent Office last week published an application for a patent by Ford innocuously titled “Systems and Methods to Repossess a Vehicle”, which comes straight out of a dystopian sci-fi movie.
The application entails systems in terms of which vehicles, for all practical purposes, would be able to repossess themselves should their owners renege on payments.
According to the document, vehicles’ built-in data connections could be used to disable “a functionality of one or more components of the vehicle” in case of missed payments. This could take different forms from deactivating features like “cruise control, automated window controls, automated seat controls and some components of the infotainment system (radio Global Positioning System (GPS), MP3 player, etc)” to functions such as “the air-conditioning system, a remote key fob and an automated door lock/unlock system” and other incessant irritating warnings.
The most disconcerting feature of the system though, in the case of self-autonomous vehicles, is that with Ford's system, your car could drive itself away to a different location without even informing you.
It is unclear whether Ford is planning to follow through on the patents since it is currently not actively pursuing self-drive technology.
Other auto manufacturers already feature similar technology in their vehicles.
Ford will launch seven new models in Europe by 2029, it announced recently, as it seeks to grow its flagging passenger car sales, fend off fierce competition from Chinese rivals and maintain an edge in the continent's commercial vehicle market.
House lawmakers in the United States (US) have proposed bipartisan legislation that would require electric vehicles (EVs) to pay a R2 227 ($130) fee annually for road repairs, and R578 ($35) for some plug-in hybrid models, according to Reuters.
Taking on the challenge of restoring a legacy brand to a stronger position in South Africa is now the focus for Dealer Principal David Venter and his team at Mazda The Glen in the south of Johannesburg.
Advertisement
Advertisement
I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys
Woody Allen
Ford will launch seven new models in Europe by 2029, it announced recently, as it seeks to grow its flagging passenger car sales, fend off fierce competition from Chinese rivals and maintain an edge in the continent's commercial vehicle market.
The battle between Chinese carmakers and their Japanese competitors in South Africa increasingly appears to be a fait accompli in favour of the newcomers from China.
Volvo Cars and Google are working together to shape a new generation of driving experiences by combining automotive engineering with artificial intelligence.
