Ford Vehicles May Get Off-Road Track Recommendation System

April 19, 2023 1:03 pm

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for an off-road track recommendation system that could be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on October 8^th, 2021, published on April 13^th, 2023, and assigned serial number 0114283.

The Ford Authority Take

Ford has filed a wide array of patents in recent months that aim to add more off-road capability to its vehicles, including one for integrated sand ladders, a combined climbing ladder and recovery board, a wet seat detection and mitigation system, a detachable lighting assembly for vehicles, retractable exhaust tips, a stranded motorist assistance system, a vehicular attitude control system, and a deployable trail sight, to name just a few. Now, this new Ford patent outlines an idea for an off-road track recommendation system that would could foreshadow some of the capabilities of the long-awaited FordPass Performance app.

The concept behind this new Ford patent is to use sensors to identify an off-road track’s difficulty and compare it to a vehicle’s capabilities before giving a recommendation for it or another track. To do this, the system would evaluate a track’s terrain characteristics, elevation variations, and the vehicle’s pitch, yaw, and roll variations. It would also be able to lean on historical data from other users that have traveled along the same track, as well as driver preferences when making recommendations.

Such a system could prove to be incredibly useful for those that are visiting off-road trails that they’ve never traversed before, and perhaps aren’t quite sure if their vehicle or skills are up to the task. On the flip side, experienced drivers looking for a new challenge could also find it to be quite useful, too. Either way, given The Blue Oval’s continued interest in developing off-road related features and technology, it could very well find its way into future Ford vehicles.

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.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.