DETROIT: Ford believes that the best way to avoid many of the accidents that involve cars and electric bikes or scooters would be to connect them, to enable them to "communicate" with one another.
To this end, a consortium has been created to test all the possibilities offered today by technology to avoid collisions between cars and two wheelers.
Ford is working on different technologies that would allow electric bikes and scooters to communicate with its cars, in order to make roads even safer. The idea is that the car is able to receive a maximum amount of information about the vehicles around it, and vice versa (real-time geolocation, speed, etc.).
To promote this concept and develop new joint technologies, a consortium of bicycle and scooter manufacturers has been set up under the authority of Tome Software, a startup based here, in collaboration with Ford. Many scenarios will thus be able to be put to the test.
For years Ford has been continuously improving its advanced driver assistance system, particularly with regard to the detection of moving objects, vehicles and pedestrians. This type of solution could also eventually be integrated into electric scooters from Spin, now owned by Ford.
For its part, bicycle manufacturer Trek has decided to add sensors to its taillights that are capable of triggering an alert to motorists who ride too close.
The ultimate aim, of course, is that in the future this type of communication between vehicles will be universal and will not only concern Ford cars.
