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Ford Developing New Technologies to Help Ease Traffic, Parking Stress and Address Future Mobility Challenges

Ford Motor Company is researching and developing intelligent, next-generation driving technologies designed to help address traffic jams and other future mobility challenges that come with rapid urbanization and population growth around the world.

Ford’s early prototypes of two such technologies – Traffic Jam Assist and an advanced version of active park assist, evolved to offer hands-free perpendicular parking – are designed to interact with a vehicle’s surroundings, reduce driver stress and help reduce traffic gridlock.

“Developing these technologies is part of the first step in a journey toward a more connected future,” said Paul Mascarenas, Ford chief technical officer and vice president, Research and Innovation. “It’s an undertaking we believe will save time, conserve resources, lower emissions, improve safety and help reduce driver stress.”

Traffic Jam Assist

Traffic Jam Assist is an intelligent driving technology that Ford is developing for the mid-term. It uses radar and camera technology to help a vehicle keep pace with other vehicles in traffic and provide automated steering control to stay in the current lane, reducing driver stress and potentially improving vehicle flow.

“Drivers spend more than 30 percent of their time in heavy traffic,” said Joseph Urhahne, engineer with Ford Research and Innovation. “Traffic Jam Assist could help make traveling through congestion a more relaxing experience and, by keeping pace with the flow of traffic, potentially help relieve road congestion.”

Individual simulation studies have found that where 25 percent of vehicles on a stretch of road are equipped to automatically follow the traffic ahead, journey times can be reduced by 37.5 percent and delays reduced by 20 percent – saving millions of gallons of fuel each year.

Traffic Jam Assist has the potential to follow the traffic ahead while maintaining lane position in environments where there are no pedestrians, cyclists or animals, and where lanes are clearly marked.

Many of the sensing technologies required to deliver Traffic Jam Assist already are available on current Ford models including Focus, Escape and Fusion.

The developing technology would be able to respond to changing traffic situations ahead and communicate any developments to the driver. Traffic Jam Assist would also incorporate features to help ensure the driver remains alert and in contact with the vehicle controls, even when the system is active. It could also be overridden at any time.

Perpendicular parking

In the near term, Ford plans to further develop its active park assist technology, a popular feature that allows drivers to parallel park without touching the wheel. Ford is adding perpendicular parking to the parallel parking maneuvers already possible.

The enhanced system would harness the technologies introduced with active park assist. It uses ultrasonic sensors to identify suitable parking spaces, for width rather than length, and then steers the vehicle into them using electric power-assisted steering (EPAS).

Active park assist is activated by pressing a center console button. When a suitable space is detected, the system will advise the driver to stop with an audible and visual warning. The driver will then be told to put the vehicle into reverse gear and operate brakes and clutch, if needed, while the car controls the steering wheel.

Perpendicular parking functionality would use the vehicle’s rear parking distance control sensors to monitor for obstructions not seen by the driver when backing into the space.

Where there is insufficient space to complete the maneuver in one attempt, the system might ask the driver to shift the vehicle into forward and reverse as necessary. Once the vehicle is perfectly parked, the driver gets a finish signal.

Courtesy of Ford

It's a whole new era in Mustang history, and Jay is the first guy outside of Ford to drive these 2013 high-performance models!

2015 Ford Mustang to Get Four-Cylinder Turbo Engine

Given the success of Ford‘s EcoBoost engines, it’s no real surprise the American automaker is considering a turbocharged four-cylinder powerplant for its next generation Mustang.

 

Even though die-hard Mustang enthusiasts will view it as almost sacrilegious to equip a Mustang with a four-cylinder powerplant, maybe they’ll be pleased to know that it’ll pack 330 hp and undoubtedly more than the current V6′s 280 lb-ft of torque.

Reports are coming in that Ford is currently working on a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine to be used in the next-generation Focus RS. Matthias Ton, head of Ford’s global performance car division, went on the record to say that the base model 2015 Mustang will share that same powerplant, replacing the current 3.7-liter V6.

In addition to the extra horsepower the turbocharged four-cylinder will provide, the Mustang will also benefit with better fuel efficiency than the current V6 which is 19-mpg city, 31-mpg highway. Even if we don’t see the EcoBoost under the hood of the Mustang when it debuts in 2015, chances are the American automaker will fit it into the model’s lineup within a year or two.

Courtesy: Auto Express

Inside the Focus ST Rally Club at the 2012 E3 Expo

Hey fans! Want to know what's happening at the 2012 E3 Expo? Brian McClary talks with Mary Ellen Abraham about the Focus ST Rally Club and what visitors to the 2012 E3 Expo can do, learn and share in club.

Don’t forget the PCV valve

The PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve is an emissions control device on older cars — check your service manual to see if your car has one.The valve recirculates partially burned gases from the engine’s crankcase to the combustion chamber. Important to a properly functioning engine, the valve should be changed every 30,000 miles (48,000 km) or as specified in your owner’s manual. In addition to helping you get the most from a tank of gasoline, it helps to prevent the buildup of harmful sludge and corrosion.When replacing your PCV valve, be sure you use the correct one or you may damage your engine.

Ford F-150 Special Service Vehicle Package Now Available, Fulfilling Fleet Customer Requests for Adaptability, Efficiency

Ford Motor Company, the top-selling commercial truck brand for 27 years, is now offering a new F-150 Special Service Vehicle (SSV) Package aimed at government, municipal and commercial fleets

“Our fleet customers have been asking us to create this option for F-Series trucks,” said Ford Government Sales Manager Tony Gratson. “We’re confident the current and updated 2013 F-150 equipped with the SSV Package will be of particular interest to our government customers with rugged jobs such as law enforcement, firefighting, and national and state park patrols.”

Ford anticipates commercial buyers across a variety of businesses, like their government fleet counterparts, will appreciate the value in this no-charge package.

 

F-150 SSV content includes a high-capacity 220-amp alternator to support fleet-class electrical needs.

 

To meet wide-ranging SSV applications, the package will be available for both SuperCab and SuperCrew configurations, 4x2 and 4x4 models, and with a choice of 5.0-liter V8 or 3.5-liter EcoBoost^® engines.

 

When SSV-equipped, the F-150 interior is optimized for driver comfort, maximum adaptability for aftermarket upfit of task-specific accessories, and second-row seat durability.

 

The SSV seating package is 40/20/40, with the center 20 percent omitted completely to maximize space for in-cab aftermarket equipment such as law enforcement communications and firearms installations. The central console is omitted also, creating even more space.

 

Individual driver and first-row passenger seating surfaces are upholstered in easily cleaned cloth for comfort over the long haul.

 

The three-across, full-width second-row seat is covered completely in rugged, durable vinyl, ideal for law enforcement use or work-crew transport.

 

Ford places no restrictions on F-150 optional content so that fleets – both government and commercial – have maximum flexibility in ordering exact vehicle specifications. This enables F-150 SSV buyers to specify such options as heavy-duty tires, 4x4 skid plates and interior convenience content.

 

Along with the choice of 5.0-liter V8 and 3.5-liter EcoBoost engines, SSV Package vehicles – like all Ford F-150 pickups – are equipped with a fuel-saving six-speed automatic transmission.

Courtesy of Ford

Ford at the 2012 E3 Expo

Brian McClary, Ford Social and Emerging Media Analyst, gives us some insight on what Ford and E3 Expo have in common, and what Ford is doing at the premier computer and video game trade conference.

Keep your cool

Hey fans! Here's a really simple, great maintenance tip to help extend the life of your vehicle. Always make sure you check the coolant-antifreeze level weekly that shows on the translucent coolant-antifreeze overflow tank. If low, fill to the maximum fill mark on the tank with a 50-50 solution of coolant-antifreeze and water. Some coolant manufacturers now sell premixed coolant and water for the motorist who wants a quick and easy way to top off.

2013 Ford F-150 debuts with slight enhancements

Ford officially took the wraps off the 2013 Ford F-150 this morning in Waco, Texas.

While not a dramatic overhaul, the new F-150, which arrives later this year, includes a number of enhancements, including new grilles that are part of a fully made-over front facia, giving the pickup a closer family resemblance to the Super Duty. Ford has also added high-intensity discharge headlamps as an option for 2013. There will also be some new 18- and 20-inch wheel choices, as well as the addition of MyFord Touch inside the cab of the F-150.

The incremental changes to Ford's top-selling F-Series is one way the automaker keeps its pickups fresh, Doug Scott, head of Ford truck marketing marketing, told Autoblog. Instead of waiting for the next scheduled refreshing, Ford pushes new features into vehicles whenever they are available. Last year, Ford overhauled its powertrain options for the F-150, adding two V6 options.

Truck buyers appear to like Ford's approach. For the past 13 months, more than half of all F-150s sold have had either a 3.7-liter V6 or Ford's well-received 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 under their hoods.

Full-size pickups represent the fourth-largest segment in the United States, and Scott said the company thinks it could grow into the third-largest segment in the coming years. "We're tracking 1.6 million truck sales this year (for the segment)," Scott said. "For our longer-term projections, 2 million is not out of the question."

 

Courtesy of Auto Blog