Ford Transit Custom Steering Wheel Tray Could Be U.S. Bound

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a tray assembly for a vehicle similar to the one present in the new Ford Transit Custom that may be used in other future Blue Oval products, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on August 25^th, 2023, published on March 7^th, 2024, and assigned serial number 0075863.

The Ford Authority Take

In recent months, Ford has filed a large number of patents aimed at transforming the interiors of future vehicles into something of a mobile office space of sorts. Those fillings include ideas for a deployable workstation, a seat-mounted work surface, and a deployable vehicle desk, to name just a few. We’ve also seen this type of idea come to fruition on two different occasions as of late – with the new Interior Work Surface feature that debuted in the 2021 Ford F-150, as well as the trick steering wheel present in the redesigned Ford Transit Custom.

Now, it seems as if The Blue Oval is thinking about adding a slightly revised version of the steering wheel in the Ford Transit Custom to other models as well. In the new European van, that steering wheel folds upward and can accommodate a flat surface that transforms it into a tray table of sorts, and the bottom tab lifts up, which helps secure a tray in place. The steering wheel can be placed in all sorts of different angles, which makes it useful for a variety of things, ranging from holding a meal to a laptop or simply acting as a writing surface.

This patent filing takes that concept a step further by adding even more features, such as a built-in phone stand/charger, along with an integrated keyboard and track pad. However, the possibilities here are quite literally endless – Ford proposes ideas like a clipboard and pen holder, places for monitors or lights to be mounted, and various other nifty tricks. Given the fact that this patent was filed in the U.S. – where the new Transit Custom isn’t sold – it stands to reason that we could very well see this kind of feature show up in future models, too.

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