Alert! Can you imagine your self-driving car taking itself to a junkyard because you’re late on your vehicle payment? It seems that Ford has imagined it, since it has filed a patent that would allow its autonomous cars to repossess themselves if drivers do not keep up with the corresponding payments.
What does the Ford patent say?
According to the patent filed by Ford, drivers who default on their autonomous car payments could face a multi-step replenishment process. First, the car owner would receive a default notice on the infotainment system screen. If the driver doesn’t respond to said notice, another one would be sent before starting all hell.
The proposed punishments
In the event that the warnings do not take effect, Ford proposes punishments in the vehicle itself, such as deactivating the air conditioning, music or GPS, or even the emission of an annoying and incessant sound every time the owner enters the car. vehicle.
If all this is not enough for the car owner to pay the corresponding part, the replacement process would continue with the blocking of access to the vehicle. In this case, Ford ensures that access to the vehicle would be allowed in the event of a medical emergency or for commuting to work, but the driver could not leave certain areas or at certain times.
And if still not paid?
If, even so, the owner of the car does not pay what he touches, Ford has filed a patent so that its autonomous cars can repossess themselves. In the case of semi-autonomous vehicles, the car would be moved a short distance to facilitate its towing by the replacement company. In the case of fully autonomous cars, the vehicle would be driven back to the dealership where it was purchased, or to a nearby depot, depending on the value of the car.
Conclusion
Oddly enough, this patent is real, it has been published in gizmodo, and it has been filed by Ford. It’s not the only crazy idea the company has patented, as it has also filed patents for vehicles with advertising screens inside or for vehicles with detachable motorcycles.
Although the filing of patents is something common in the automotive industry, the case of Ford is especially striking. The idea that a self-driving car could repossess itself for non-payment of a traffic ticket is disturbing, and makes us wonder what other crazy ideas car manufacturers will come up with in the future.
