Ford has submitted a technology patent that would essentially be able to control your car, repossess it, and only allow you to drive to certain places.
Ford’s New (Scary) Patent
A new technological system was submitted for a patent by Ford, which would allow the company to prevent owners from accessing their vehicles if they have any outstanding payments.
Additionally, the patent would enable remote seizure of vehicles, including facilitating self-driving cars to transport themselves to a repossession facility.
Ford Global Technologies filed a patent application titled “systems and methods to repossess a car” on August 20, 2021, and the application was officially published by the USPTO on February 23, 2023.
Per the 14-page patent, the system would connect a computer with the bank or lender, along with the computer in the vehicle or the owner’s smartphone.
Ford Could Disable Your Radio, Cruise Control, Air
Ford has the ability to disable certain features, such as the radio, cruise control, and air conditioning, if a car owner falls behind on their payments.
The audio might be configured to “emit a persistent and unpleasant sound whenever the owner is present in the car,” according to the patent.
In case of further late payments, Ford would have the ability to lock the owner out of their vehicle.
The technology would allow Ford to restrict the vehicle’s usage solely to certain destinations, such as schools, hospitals, grocery stores, or work commutes.
The first computer “may block a functionality of a component of the vehicle or it may place the vehicle in a lockout mode when a response is not received within an a suitable period of time,” according to the patent description.
In an emergency, the lockout status “may be temporarily released to permit the vehicle to proceed to a medical facility.”
In case of missed payments, Ford could remotely command the self-driving car to navigate to a repossession lot or a location where the car can be easily towed away.
Patent is Still Pending
The patent is still awaiting approval.
Ford stated in a statement that they have no plans to use the eye-opening patent.
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