The vast range of Ford technology developments continue with the announcement of Ford Traffic Jam Assist and Remote Park Assist technologies.
Aiming to make driving in congestion less stressful the Traffic Jam Assist assists the driver by keeping the vehicle centred in the lane and brakes and accelerates to keep pace with the vehicle in front of it. Traffic Jam Assist is made possible by the combination of two technologies that are also in development, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go and Lane Centering Aid. As part of a range of semi-autonomous driver assistance technologies, the traffic jam technology is activated at the push of a button with the ability for the driver to take over at any time by using the pedals, the steering wheel or the indicators. The system also regularly monitors the driver’s interaction with the steering wheel, issuing acoustic and visual warnings if the system detects a lack of steering interaction.
Remote Park Assist builds on Active Park Assist, available on current Ford vehicles, and Fully Assisted Parking Aid, the next-generation parking technology, which controls steering, gear selection and forward and reverse motion to facilitate push-button parking. Remote Park Assist will help to alleviate those tricky narrow spaces such as narrow garages and crowded underground garages helping to optimise parking spaces. Using a special key fob, the driver will be able to remotely start the engine and shift gears, from a better vantage point, standing near the vehicle.
This year Ford announced Ford Smart Mobility, the company’s plan to deliver the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and big data, while making millions of people’s lives better. With more to follow it will be interesting to see how Ford evolve and develop their technologies to suit the ever evolving market.
