Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a rear seat HVAC system for the third row, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on March 11th, 2020, published on February 21st, 2023, and assigned serial number 11584272.
The Ford Authority Take
Ford has filed several HVAC-related patents in recent months, including one for a vehicle seat with adaptive ventilation, a steering wheel preconditioning system, an external heating feature for EVs, an instant cabin heating system, and a roof-mounted HVAC system for EVs. Now, this newly filed Ford patent keeps that trend going by introducing an idea for a third-row HVAC system, too.
This is notable because currently, second- and third-row passengers in most vehicles already get their own HVAC ducts, but this Ford patent depicts an idea for a dedicated system specifically for the third row. The system features an air duct located between the seats, feeding air to two different vents, with an air mover located at each end to keep things flowing.
The idea here is to improve air flow for third-row passengers, who are often neglected in that regard. In years past, third rows weren’t quite as common, but have grown in popularity – particularly among families and those that have a need to haul more than five or so passengers at a time. As such, it makes perfect sense that Ford may want to find ways to improve third-row passenger comfort.
This type of system could certainly do that, at least in terms of making it easier to regulate temperatures in the very rear portion of certain vehicles. With three-row SUVs and crossovers continuing to gain in popularity, such a system certainly has merit, if nothing else.
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Comment
My navigator has a rear heat/cool system that really makes a difference for third row passengers.