Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a smart road salt distribution system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on September 14th, 2022, published on March 14th, 2024, and assigned serial number 0085199.
The Ford Authority Take
Ford has been exploring the potential use of blockchain technology – a system that maintains records of transactions across computers that are linked together in a peer-to-peer network – for some time now, largely as a way to promote the ethical sourcing of raw materials and also to track EV batteries throughout their lifecycle to ensure responsible management during use and recycling at the end of their useful life. Now, this newly filed Ford patent proposes an entirely different way to capitalize on this technology.
If this new Ford patent filing comes to fruition, the proposed system could be used to perhaps make the act of clearing roads in the winter time more efficient than it currently is. At the moment, trucks that spread salt on roadways don’t have a way to adjust the amount of salt they distribute, which means that some roads may be getting more than necessary – a problem because it’s not only costly, but also, excess salt could have negative impacts on nearby ecosystems.
To help solve those problems, Ford proposes creating a smart road salt distribution system that would use a computer linked to a blockchain network, which could in turn gather data from weather services, sensors, and other avenues to determine where road salt is needed, as well as how much. It’s an interesting idea for certain, but depending on how much such a system might cost, it could prove viable at some point in the future, too.
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.
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