Groove Ford

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 26, 2011 - Ford is aggressively accelerating its commitment to wirelessly connected intelligent vehicles - known as vehicle-to-vehicle communications - becoming the first automaker to build prototype vehicles for demonstrations across the U.S., doubling its intelligent vehicle investment in 2011 and dedicating even more scientists to developing this technology.

"Ford believes intelligent vehicles that talk to each other through advanced Wi-Fi are the next frontier of collision avoidance innovations that could revolutionize the driving experience and hold the potential of helping reduce many crashes," said Sue Cischke, group vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering.

An October National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report on the potential safety benefits of vehicle-to-vehicle communications estimates that intelligent vehicles could help in as many as 4,336,000 police-reported, light-vehicle crashes annually, or approximately 81 percent of all light-vehicle crashes involving unimpaired drivers. Experts say intelligent vehicles could be on the road in five to 10 years.

Ford's demonstration vehicles will hit the road this spring, starting at major technology hubs across the country.

How it works:

Ford's vehicle communications research technology allows vehicles to talk wirelessly with one another using advanced Wi-Fi signals, or dedicated short-range communications, on a secured channel allocated by the Federal Communications Commission. Unlike radar-based safety features, which identify hazards within a direct line of sight, the Wi-Fi-based radio system allows full-range, 360-degree detection of potentially dangerous situations, such as when a driver's vision is obstructed.

For example, drivers could be alerted if their vehicle is on path to collide with another vehicle at an intersection, when a vehicle ahead stops or slows suddenly or when a traffic pattern changes on a busy highway. The systems also could warn drivers if there is a risk of collision when changing lanes, approaching a stationary or parked vehicle, or if another driver loses control.

Ford hits the gas on vehicle communications:

After a decade of research, Ford plans a new 20-member task force - consisting of company planners, engineers and scientists from around the world with expertise in safety, eco-mobility, infotainment and driver convenience - to accelerate development of intelligent vehicles with features that provide a range of benefits to consumers.

Ford also is doubling its intelligent vehicle research investment, building on the company's SYNC and MyFord Touch innovations. The goal is to define the next 10 years of safety, convenience and driver assistance, and strengthen the company's position as the global industry leader in connected vehicle technology.

"While there are challenges ahead, the foundation of these smarter vehicles is advanced versions of technologies that are pervasive - Wi-Fi and crash avoidance systems that Ford has pioneered in mainstream vehicles today," said Paul Mascarenas, vice president, Research and Advanced Engineering and chief technical officer. "Intelligent vehicles could help warn drivers of numerous potential dangers such as a car running a red light but blocked from the view of a driver properly entering the intersection."

Speaking the same language:

Ford is partnering with other automakers, the federal government, as well as local and county road commissions to create a common language that ensures all vehicles can talk to each other based on a common communication standard.

This public-private partnership will include the world's first government-sponsored driving clinics beginning in summer 2011, for which the company will contribute two prototype Ford Taurus sedans. The DOT's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) will head the research, continuing to coordinate with a coalition of automakers organized by the Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP), which is a joint research group headed by Ford and General Motors. The partnership is working to develop inter-operability standards in advance of completing the research phase in 2013.

"Ford has laid the groundwork to give vehicles a voice with SYNC and Wi-Fi technology," said Jim Vondale, director, Ford Automotive Safety Office. "Now we're working with other automakers and government leaders worldwide to develop common standards globally to bring intelligent vehicles to market quicker and more affordably."

Vondale has been appointed by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to represent automakers on the ITS Advisory Committee. Mike Shulman, technical leader, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering, leads the government-industry technical partnership as program manager for CAMP.

Beyond safety, endless possibilities:

By reducing crashes, intelligent vehicles could ease traffic delays, which would save drivers both time and fuel costs. Congestion also could be avoided through a network of intelligent vehicles and infrastructure that would process real-time traffic and road information and allow drivers to choose less congested routes.

According to Texas Transportation Institute's (TTI) 2010 Urban Mobility Report, traffic congestion continues to worsen in American cities of all sizes, annually wasting nearly 3.9 billion gallons of fuel in 2009 and costing the average commuter $808 in additional fuel. Leading factors in traffic delays are caused by accidents, breakdowns and road debris, TTI maintains.

"The day is not far off when our vehicles will operate like mobile devices with four wheels, constantly exchanging information and communicating with our environment to do things like shorten commute times, improve fuel economy and generally help us more easily navigate life on the road," said Mascarenas.

Laying the connectivity groundwork:

Many of Ford's current technologies show how intelligent vehicles will be able to help drivers. For example, features that alert drivers to approaching hazards, such as Ford's collision warning with brake support and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with cross-traffic alert rely on radar sensors to detect vehicles or objects close to the vehicle.

"Ford has pioneered connectivity in modern vehicles with SYNC," said Shulman. "We believe advanced Wi-Fi for intelligent vehicles could be added to smartphones or GPS systems and simply connect to SYNC like today?s phones.?

Ford's MyFord Touch infotainment system has become a popular feature among car buyers, especially as it becomes available on more Ford vehicles. Expanding upon this popular system is Ford's all-new mobile app called SYNC Destinations. SYNC Destinations is a free app available on the Apple iPhone, Apple iPad and Android-based devices, with BlackBerry availability coming soon.



SYNC Destinations gives customers with the SYNC TDI (Traffic, Directions and Information) service access to a host of navigation and traffic information specifically designed to make any trip easier.

"With SYNC Destinations, you can be standing in line for a coffee, making impromptu plans with a friend or sitting at the ballgame, and conveniently add a new address to your Saved Points ? without ever stopping to log into your account at a personal computer," said Dave Gersabeck, SYNC TDI product manager.

Other key benefits to the SYNC Destinations app include:

-    Traffic maps with real-time speed, accident and incident information for all highways, interstates, arterials and city streets in 126 metropolitan areas across North America.

-    Reliable traffic forecasts that predict how travel times are expected to change over time.

-    Fastest routes based on current and expected traffic conditions as well as recommended departure times.

-     Easy look-up of addresses for new destinations through local business search and address book integration.

Ford will host demos of this new app during the International CES consumer technology trade show in Las Vegas next month.

Ugh, parallel parking. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks it's fun to do. And how about backing out of a parking space? Not much joy spread there either. But a nine-month advanced research project conducted by Ford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) New England University Transportation Center revealed drivers are less stressed when doing both those high-stress tasks when using selected new technological advancements. This study is an extension of an ongoing alliance between Ford and MIT to improve driver focus, wellness and safety through the integration of vehicle technology.

Physiological measures to detect stress were monitored using a specially equipped 2010 Lincoln MKS test vehicle. Parallel parking is a highly avoided and stress-inducing driving situation for many drivers. However, use of advanced technology resulted in a more than 12 beats per minute (bpm) reduction in heart rate. These findings were strongest in the parallel parking study, where use of the Ford Motor Company Active Park Assist feature in the Lincoln MKS helped to significantly reduce stress on drivers compared to the manual operation of performing the same task. When backing out of parking spaces with the Ford Motor Company Cross-Traffic Alert, drivers were more likely to appropriately stop and yield to an approaching vehicle than when the system was unavailable.

For the past seven years, Ford has been actively collaborating with MIT's New England University Transportation Center to understand the correlation between stressors and driving performance and identify technological advancements that both mitigate stress and create a more enjoyable experience. The research objective of this study was to measure and monitor physiological changes in heart rate during and following the completion of driving challenges, including parallel parking and backing out of a concealed parking space. Using biometric results as well as self-perception evaluations, the research measured the impact of new parking technologies on stress levels.

In the study of the Active Park Assist system, data were collected from 42 subjects equally distributed between males and females across three age groups - drivers in their 20s, 40s and 60s. Prior to testing, each of the subjects was given an in-depth briefing and demonstration of both the technology at the focus of the study as well as related systems. They then gained experience with the systems prior to the defined assessment period. For example, in the parallel parking study, subjects were given three practice opportunities to both manually parallel park and use the Active Park Assist feature to grow accustomed to the technology and experience parking the Lincoln MKS.

Following this introduction, each of the test drivers was monitored using heart rate as an objective method of assessing driver workload and stress on the road. In addition, a subjective measure was monitored by asking subjects to rate their perceived stress level at the completion of each driving maneuver. Detailed evaluations of their experience and impressions of the technology were also collected at the end of the experiment.

During the evaluation trials when drivers were anticipating engaging in a manual parking exercise, mean heart rate was 75.9 beats per minute. During the evaluation trials when drivers were anticipating parking using Active Park Assist, heart rate was 72.5, or 3.4 beats per minute lower. This indicates that prior to the physical work involved in maneuvering the steering wheel to manually park, the anticipation alone associated with undertaking the task was more stressful than when drivers were anticipating parking with Active Park Assist.

This difference is particularly notable in that it was observed in individuals who had only had the opportunity to develop experience and trust in this technology for a relatively limited period of time.

"The substantial changes in the objective physiological markers of driver stress, coupled with changes in perceived stress, suggest that the driver's well-being can be increased through this technology," said Bryan Reimer, associate director of research, New England University Transportation Center at MIT.

A second experiment focused on Ford's Cross-Traffic Alert technology. Using a methodology similar to the parallel parking study, drivers were given an opportunity to experience backing out of a blinded parking spot with and without Cross-Traffic Alert. The most notable finding was that at one point in the experiment, all drivers who received a traffic alert warning from the technology stopped and yielded to an approaching vehicle, while only 71 percent of the drivers backing out without the aid of the technology appropriately stopped.

"The point of technology in a vehicle is to help the driver; it's to serve the driver and so if there is a particular task where it's something the driver may not be familiar with a comfortable feeling all the time and we can help, by using technology, than that's what we're really going to do in our vehicles," said Jeff Greenberg, Senior Technical Leader in the Ford Research Laboratory.