The patent is titled “Systems and Methods for the Recovery of a Vehicle”. If we accept the reality of such a control method, Ford, and theoretically any automobile company, could at its discretion block any function of the car, up to the “disobedience” of the owner of the car.
As mentioned, a bank or leasing company can remotely turn off certain functions such as the air conditioner or radio or the vehicle itself if the person renting the vehicle does not comply with the payment terms. At the same time, in an emergency, the blocking can be temporarily lifted “to allow the vehicle to pass to a medical facility if there is a medical emergency”. The system may also allow the vehicle to operate within a certain geographic boundary.
In addition, the patent describes the possibility of returning the car to the “rightful owner” – the bank or the lessor – using a computer responsible for the return of ownership. So we can even talk about a car that is completely autonomous according to the driver.
The patent also explains that for stated purposes, a GPS sensor will be used to determine the position of the car and other sensors such as optical cameras, lidar and ultrasonic sensors to determine if the car is in the garage. Prevent ransom attempts.
However, Ford officials say the company has no intention of pursuing the patent because, in principle, it has filed many patent applications for new inventions “as part of the normal business process,” but these are not necessarily indicative of new business or product plans.
Source: Ferra
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