Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a vehicular repossession system, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on August 20th, 2021, published on February 23rd, 2023, and assigned serial number 0055958.
The Ford Authority Take
In recent months, Ford has filed patents for a vehicular usage simulation system that is capable of simulating vehicle ownership by utilizing route data, wear and tear, and the cost of owning one vehicle based on data taken from another vehicle, as well as another outlining an idea for a vehicle resale value evaluation system that could calculate a resale price based on the model’s make, year, mileage, trim, and other factors. Now, this new Ford patent – first discovered by The Drive – aims to use connected vehicle data in a much different manner.
The idea here is to present some new ways to repossess a vehicle that don’t involve the traditional method of having a tow truck go out and physically remove it in the wee morning hours. Rather, to avoid such confrontations, this system would be able to communicate with financial institutions such as banks that hand out vehicle loans, repossession agencies, and even the police or medical personnel. In the event that someone doesn’t make their payments on a vehicle loan, these entities would be able to communicate with each other, the vehicle, and the owner.
From there, if the system determines that repossession is necessary, it could disable certain functions of the vehicle or lock it down entirely, making it impossible for the owner to drive – unless there’s a medical emergency, which explains that particular avenue of communication. However, if a vehicle has autonomous capability, the system depicted in this Ford patent would enable it to move to a location where it would be easier to tow, to a repossession agency lot, or even straight to the junkyard, if the vehicle is deemed to be not worth saving.
It’s certainly an interesting – and somewhat alarming – idea, but one that also makes some sense. After all, with Ford leveraging its connected vehicle technology and touting it as the future, it seems as if cars may one day repossess themselves, after all.
We’ll have more on this and all Ford patents soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford patent news, Ford business news, and comprehensive Ford news coverage.
Comments
Ford is sucking up to Big Brother big time. How many other ways can your vehicle be used against you? It can arrest you and drive you to the police station, or just trap you in your vehicle until the police arrive. If you make a comment on social media that you are going to join a Canadian trucker protest, your vehicle can be immobilized and you won’t go anywhere. Or even worse, you will be forced to take the long, slow route to your destination unless you pay a “convenience fee” to Ford to get routed on the quick route. Your vehicle’s speed will be throttled “for the environment” unless you pay for the monthly “premium convenience package” to go the speed limit.
The number of ways networked vehicles can be abused is endless.
Mostly jacked up Rams supported trucker protest, not too many Fords.
Actually it was numbskulls in Rams.
Do you see visions or hear voices when you descend into these dystopian visions?
LoL didn’t you get the memo, the speed limit signs will be replaced by big iPads and just before you reach them they will switch down just to make you a speeder, and the cop behind the tree will be roused from his slumber, and then all you have to depend on after that is wits and white privilege before Bill Gates going a ride along personally injects you with Hugo Chavez patented 5G micro tracking chips.
I just read the news and see what Big Tech and Big Government are actually doing. When Ford started poaching IT executives and adding high-profile government lobbyists, the future of transportation became painfully clear. Individual control and freedoms are to be sacrificed for the “public good,” which is a euphemism for totalitarian control. EVs on the road now are actively range-throttled, charging-throttled, and battery-throttled often depending on how much you are willing to pay up front on the cost of the vehicle. I don’t see the future of greed and control being any less that it is now, and OTA capabilities will enable all types of bait-and-switch shenanigans. That Steve Berman has a lot of work ahead of him in the transportation field.
Big Tech + Big Government = Big Brother.
I’m here for all the country songs this is going to inspire about a dude’s truck leaving him instead of his girl lmao
Good one!
Well played Sir, well played indeed.
In the future, first thing everyone will do is remove the “network” antenna.
You won’t be able to because you will be the antenna of the future. Google “using humans as 6G antennas.” A cohort of scientists want to affix people with copper armbands so we can all be one big Borg antenna.
Im disappointed, I never expected you to choose dystopian-light approach armbands over orifices.
Then also need a system for vehicles that are stolen and vehicles that are in a high speed chase with law enforcement.
Wondered for a long time why this isn’t a thing.
Instead we get the drama, escalatory shootings and innocent folk in the street becoming collateral damage.
In my mind this is no different from any technique that cops use to stop a fleeing car and with far less downsides.
Maybe they can have it drive itself to the dealership where most Ford’s spend a lot of time. Instead of focusing on quality, this is the kind of stuff Farley sits around and dreams up.
I got it, why do you patent something that locks poor performing Ford Execs in their car and drives them in the middle of nowhere and drops them off. Now, that would be a useful and much used feature.
conjugate english grammar. What a clown.
Oh it me! This clown can recognize when K-street‘s king of doubling down on abject stupidity goes on a stumbling offense. LoL he mad. Glorious.
PS for my reply to K-street Kevin below, search further down in the thread as the reply linking function sometimes fails.
Not a big fan. I’m sure the logical next step for them is to make use of the vehicle a monthly service, and if you don’t pay it they have it drive itself back to wherever.
This might become an option, would expect that it would be something between a lease and a daily rental rate.
I can almost imagine the hue and cry of folks who don’t pay having their vehicle go back with their heirlooms inside or some such (maybe grandma in the frunk?)
Not surprising. The combination of the manufacturer pirates jacking up retail prices on their vehicles and the increased loan interest rates has resulted in the highest repossession rate of new vehicles in years.
Or maybe people with no concept of a monthly budget financing cars they couldn’t afford.
This is a reply to K-street Kevin above.
(Note: mods have apparently sent Kevin’s comment to the showers.)
Your question is rather disingenuous dude. (I’ll also point out I’ve never seen you once ever call out any of the plethora of bad faith disinfo here.)
Maybe search that new thingie (checks notes) Google for that other new thingie (checks notes) Wikipedia, and see articles on both topics.
Bullying? LoL I know it frustrates you that I’m blowing up your K-street team’s disinformation model, and your comment here is an attempt to neutralize my call outs of your efforts to that end by marginalizing me but yippe kai yea!
(What’s truly boring here is the campaign of disinformation and lies from scripted sockpuppets.)
This is just another thing to have to worry about something breaking randomly leaving you stranded or causing an accident, being used to steal the trucks, another thing that could cause a recall. You got to pay your bills but there just seems like so many things could go wrong and leave rightful owners screwed.
that ought to get them flocking into the showrooms
They should be able to return the cars to dealers for all their call backs