Ford Patent Filed For Accessible Scooter

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for an accessible scooter, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on December 6^th, 2021, published on June 8^th, 2023, and assigned serial number 0172777.

The Ford Authority Take

In spite of a rapid expansion that has occurred over the past few years, Ford ultimately decided to merge Spin – a micro mobility company that rents out scooters – with Tier, Europe’s leading shared micromobility provider, back in March 2022. FoMoCo retained a stake in the company following this move, and Spin continues to operate in North America as it did before, while in Europe, it has since transitioned to the Tier brand. However, this doesn’t mean that the automaker is finished exploring the scooter realm, as this newly filed Ford patent proves.

While scooters have proven popular as alternative methods of transportation – particularly in cities and crowded urban areas – they are difficult for people with disabilities to ride, including those that are wheelchair-bound. Additionally, those in wheelchairs often find it difficult to navigate around scooters parked along sidewalks, which are typically just left in random places as part of these rentals.

That’s precisely where this new Ford patent comes into play – it introduces an idea for an accessible scooter that can be used by people who can’t stand or balance themselves on a two-wheeled unit. The scooter outlined in this patent would feature a base that can be adapted to connect to the frame of a wheelchair, locking securely into place, at which point the operator can control it via handlebars that are positioned lower than usual.

This Ford patent notes that users would be able to specify in an app that they need a scooter that can accommodate a wheelchair, at which point the scooter they select would automatically configure itself for that type of application. It’s an interesting idea for certain, and one that could very well help those in wheelchairs get around a bit easier in the future.

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