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Future Off-Road Ford Vehicles Could Pay For Travel Over Land

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a system that could enable users to pay to travel over certain parts of land that may be used in future off-road Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on June 8th, 2022, published on February 4th, 2025, and assigned serial number 12215984.

A Ford patent for a vehicle permission handling for dynamic private land usage.

The Ford Authority Take

With its off-road-focused vehicles enjoying tremendous success these days in what’s proving to be a growing segment in general, it’s no surprise that Ford continues to file patents outlining ideas for tech we might one day see in those models. That list includes ideas for things like an adaptive off-road feature control model and an obstacle detection system. The automaker also recently published a patent for a vehicle based toll and road usage accommodation and handling system, and this newly minted piece somewhat combines those two worlds with an off-road-focused version that could one day wind up in future Ford vehicles, too.

The idea behind this new patent filing is to come up with an easy way to gain permission to use a piece of private land that might be suitable for off-road excursions, as well as pay any associated fees for doing so. Some land owners may be willing to grant users permission to drive on it, though monitoring those types of things can be difficult – and not terribly easy for users to obtain permission to do, either.

Thus, Ford proposes this new type of system, which could automatically determine an off-road route, as well as whether or not it involves the use of privately owned land. If the land owner does allow for such things, the system would be able to notify the owner, as well as inform them if they would be required to pay a fee to do so and subsequently provide payment for those services. It’s an interesting idea for certain, and is also one that could prove useful – and potentially lucrative for land owners, too, if it does ultimately come to fruition.

“Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property,” Ford said in a statement. “The ideas described within a patent application should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans. No matter what the patent application outlines, we will always put the customer first in the decision-making behind the development and marketing of new products and services.”

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.

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Comment

  1. Toll roads in the woods?! Go f yourselves for enabling more customer gouging.

    Reply

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