Future Ford Vehicles Could Automatically Shut Themselves Off

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a system and methods for automatically starting an engine that could be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on July 14^th, 2022, published on January 18^th, 2024, and assigned serial number 0018920.

The Ford Authority Take

Though it remains heavily vested in all-electric vehicles, Ford also plans to continue building and selling ICE models for the foreseeable future, and as such, has filed patents that continue to innovate in that space over the past few months – a list that includes an idea for an undesirable vehicle operations system, as well as an adaptive start-stop system. Now, this newly-filed patent also proves that Ford is committed to ICE for now, as it introduces yet another new idea for vehicles that run on gas – a system and methods for automatically starting an engine that could be used in future Ford vehicles.

While most modern vehicles come equipped with some sort of auto stop-start system that’s designed to turn an engine off when a vehicle is not in motion to improve fuel economy, these actions aren’t always sensible or well-timed, as Ford point out in this patent filing. In fact, these systems also tend to vary in behavior and don’t necessarily suit every individual driving style, which calls for a change in how they operate.

Here, Ford proposes using an arbitration routine that would instead determine when it’s appropriate to shut off an engine and when it might not be, providing a better experience as a result. The system would be able to detect current conditions and make estimates based on that data, coupled with the way a person is driving, which would presumably make for a much smoother and more predictable drive than current systems.

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