According to a patent application found on the 7th Mustang and other Ford fan websites, Ford is developing a new technology that allows car owners to turn their engines remotely. The patent number us20220137616 was submitted on November 3, 2020 and published on May 5, 2022. According to the application, the technology will allow car owners to use "user operated input devices" to start their engines without pressing the accelerator. The vehicle's engine can be started "at different distances from the vehicle" - in other words, remotely.
Remote starting the engine seems to be an idea almost exclusively for car enthusiasts. Even if you stand outside the car, you can start the engine at the touch of a button. When Silicon Valley companies such as Tesla get all the media attention because of their unconventional new car functions, the veteran manufacturer of Detroit cars and its brothers are basically watching coldly. For example, Tesla's Boombox mode can play custom audio outside the car -- including farting.
Of course, Ford is far from ready to turn its customers' vehicles into remote-controlled vehicles, but the patent application shows that the company is trying to think outside its original field when it comes to new functions designed to stimulate customers' joy.
As Ford pointed out, the company has filed a number of patent applications for fans in recent months, including drift mode and remote parking. For those car owners participating in the auto show, the remote engine speed function is likely to make them happy. If the function described in this patent is really on the car, car owners do not have to enter the car every time they want to show the engine sound of their car.
To be sure, a patent application does not necessarily mean that Ford is about to install the technology on all its vehicles. Patent applications are easy to file, but difficult to approve.