Ford and MIT Team Up

HELPING DRIVERS STAY CONNECTED, SAFER, LESS STRESSED
2010 Highlights

Ford’s pioneering SYNC® system has been upgraded with a voice-activated Traffic, Directions & Information application that helps customers save time, fuel and money while keeping their focus on driving
Innovations such as Active Park Assist take the guesswork – and stress – out of parallel parking
Ford is helping forge the next frontier of safety with “active” crash-avoidance technologies that help customers avoid situations that could lead to accidents
Ford is building on its leading number of top crash safety ratings by introducing new, faster-deploying pressure-based side air bag technologies and by using more lightweight, high-strength materials
Ford Motor Company is speeding the introduction of innovative technologies to help add convenience, safety and fuel efficiency, many building on the company’s groundbreaking SYNC fully integrated, voice-activated communications and entertainment system.

The company also is designing new ways to help keep customers safer in its vehicles, adding to an already impressive track record. In fact, Ford has the most National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 5-Star safety ratings of any brand and the most Insurance Institute for Highway Safety “Top Safety Pick” ratings of any company.
Ford’s commitment to deliver industry-leading technology solutions includes two main facets: First, since busy lifestyles often require staying connected, it’s essential to reduce distraction and make technology easier to use while driving. Second, new ways to use technology to improve the driving experience are constantly sought out. With those goals in mind, Ford offers a number of industry-leading technology advances on many of its 2010 vehicles, including:
SIRIUS Travel Link™ is an industry-leading technology that, when combined with the voice-activated navigation system, provides real-time traffic data with accident and incident information, coast-to-coast weather and fuel price information for more than 120,000 gas stations
SYNC®: Traffic, Directions & Information leverages industry-leading voice-recognition software, integrated GPS technology and a customer’s Bluetooth-capable mobile phone to provide simple, hands-free access to personalized traffic reports, precise turn-by-turn driving directions and up-to-date information including business listings, news, sports and weather.
This latest application of SYNC now is available for downloading on select 2010 Ford vehicles equipped with SYNC and becomes standard on all SYNC-equipped vehicles beginning with the 2010 Ford Taurus.

SYNC isn’t just convenient: A new study shows that SYNC significantly reduces the level of distraction when drivers select a phone number or choose a song on their MP3 player compared with the same operations using hand-held cell phones and music players.
SmartGauge with EcoGuide™ is an innovative new instrument cluster that provides real-time information to help Fusion Hybrid and Milan Hybrid drivers maximize fuel efficiency. The unique design uses two high-resolution, full-color liquid crystal display (LCD) screens on either side of the analog speedometer that can be configured to show different levels of information, including fuel and battery power levels, and average and instant miles-per-gallon. Growing leaves and vines track and reward the driver’s efficiency
Active Park Assist uses sensors on the front and rear of the vehicle, working in conjunction with Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS), to guide the vehicle into a parallel-parking space. Here’s how it works:
The driver activates the system by pressing an instrument panel button, which enables the ultrasonic sensors to measure and identify a feasible parallel-parking space.
The system prompts the driver to accept assistance to park the vehicle.
The steering system takes over and steers the car into the parking space hands-free. The driver still shifts the transmission and operates the gas and brake pedals.
A visual and/or audible driver interface advises the driver as to the proximity of other cars, objects and people, and provides instructions.
While the steering is all done automatically, the driver remains responsible for safe parking and can interrupt the system by grasping the steering wheel.

Adaptive Cruise Control allows the vehicle’s speed to be set and maintained without using the accelerator pedal. The radar-based system also can monitor the vehicle in front (up to 600 feet) and adjust the speed to help keep it a safe distance behind the lead vehicle.
Ford’s Rain-Sensing Wipers use an advanced optical sensing system to detect precipitation and determine when to activate windshield wipers and at what speed. An infrared beam “reads” the surface of the glass and sends information to a sensor mounted in the windshield shade band.

EPAS with Pull-Drift Compensation detects road conditions, such as a crowned road surface or crosswinds, and adjusts the Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS) system to help the driver compensate for pulling and drifting. For drivers, Pull-Drift Compensation is designed to be unnoticeable as the system adjusts to help with conditions.
Ford Work Solutions™ features an in-dash computer that provides full high-speed Internet and wireless accessories that include a mouse and printer; Tool Link™, a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) asset tracking system that enables customers to maintain a real-time inventory of tools or equipment stored in the vehicle; Crew Chief™, a fleet telematics and diagnostics system; and the Cable Lock security system to secure equipment in the cargo area.
The Rear View Camera system provides a clear view to the rear of the vehicle when backing up, working through a small camera that is activated when the vehicle is shifted into reverse. The video image is displayed on the vehicle’s rearview mirror (or on the navigation screen, if equipped). The screen image includes an industry-first centerline and colored guides giving the driver a better perspective of the vehicle’s center point and periphery.
Ford’s Forward Sensing System uses four hidden sensors mounted in the front fascia and audible beeps to help drivers determine how close they are to objects in front of their vehicle while parking. It can detect objects up to 1,500 feet away, plus objects at certain heights, such as parking blocks, that are out of the driver’s view.
The Easy Fuel® Capless Fuel-Filler System is a North America exclusive feature that provides customers a hassle-free, odor-free and more-consistent seal than a manual fuel cap. The system automatically seals shut when fueling is completed and the nozzle is removed.
Today, Ford is pioneering new “active” crash-avoidance technologies, because the best way to help ensure accident survivability is to avoid one in the first place. By introducing even more crash-protection technologies such as ultra-high-strength, lighter-weight steel and advanced new air bag systems, Ford has helped build upon its leading number of U.S. government 5-Star and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety “Top Safety Pick” crash safety ratings. The company also has standardized advanced air bags, stability control systems and reminders to use safety belts – still the No. 1 life-saving device – on millions of vehicles.

The Pressure-Based Air Bags on some new Ford vehicles use pressure pulses from a side impact to deploy 30 percent faster than a traditional air bag system that uses acceleration-based sensors. Pressure-based sensors help predict crash forces before the full impact occurs, and more accurately measure accident crash severity to help better differentiate between a potentially dangerous air bag-deployable crash and relatively harmless daily abuse that should not require air bag protection. The 2010 Ford Taurus and 2009 Ford F-150 are some of the industry’s first vehicles to feature the new pressure-based technology.