Ford takes to the road for new tech tests

One of the technologies being tested sees a following vehicle being informed of an emergency braking situation, even if the lead vehicle is around a bend

Ford Europe has begun real world testing on European roads of the latest car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communication technologies.

Twenty specially-equipped S-Max models have been added to a fleet of 120 vehicles, which will test the innovations over thousands of kilometers around Frankfurt in Germany.

The research is part of the four-year Safe Intelligent Mobility – Testfield Germany (simTD) project, which aims to exploit the potential of such communication technologies to improve road safety.

The technologies under review include:

An electronic brake light which delivers a message from the lead vehicle to a following vehicle if the lead car is involved in an emergency braking situation. This system works even if the lead car is out of sight ie around a bend

An Obstacle Warning System which allows a vehicle to tell other road users of potentially hazardous obstacles on the road

A Traffic Sign Assistant which remains in constant contact with traffic management centres to keep the driver informed of up to date variable speed limits, temporary diversions and restrictions and current permanent regulations, including fixed speed limits and right of way

Public Traffic Management which gives an exact traffic prognosis based on comprehensive information. This allows the impact of various traffic scenarios to be assessed at the point of the journey when they are encountered rather than at the departure point

In-car internet access, one real-world application of this could be to allow the driver to reserve and pay for parking en-route (but not while actually driving, obviously)

The new technologies are being tested in the S-Max around Frankfurt

Chief technical officer and vice president of Ford Research and Innovation, Paul Mascarenas said: ‘Car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communications represent the next major advancements in vehicle safety.

‘Ford is committed to further real-world testing here and around the world with the goal of implementation in the foreseeable future.’

The research is part of Ford’s Blueprint for Mobility, which outlines the car manufacturer’s ideas on how to tackle mobility in a crowded and urbanised world between now and 2025.

The €53million funding for the simTD project has been provided mainly by the German government. All of the major interest groups are represented in the consortium, including Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford Opel, Volkswagen, Bosch, Continental, Deutsche Telekom, German research institutions and regional infrastructure providers.