Ford’s new technology to help trailer drivers and flexible commuters

Ford Motor Company made a stop in Denver this month as one of five cities, along with Los Angeles, Seattle, Louisville and Orlando for its Smart Mobility Tour, showcasing the company’s latest in brand new, state-of-the-art technologies to help drivers and commuters across the world.

Ford’s new technology highlighted on the tour, not yet available on the market:

The MoDe:Me bike is the one on the left with the small wheels.

Anyone who’s ever attempted to back a boat into a lake or maneuver a horse trailer or a snowmobile into a tight parking spot or driveway knows that navigating a truck is a whole different animal when there’s a trailer attached to it.

This is why Ford came up with the Pro Trailer Back Up Assist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyQlRR56t-o on its 2016 F150s. How it works: Using the truck’s reverse camera, drivers take their hands off the steering wheel and turn the simple Back Up Assist knob guiding the trailer as the truck steers itself accordingly (no hands necessary on the steering wheel), making for seamless, much less time-consuming boat launches and parking placement.

Another not-yet-released technology to keep an eye out for from Ford in the near future is the MoDe: Me electric-assisted bicycle https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North%20America/US/2015/03/02/modeme_e-bike_EU.PDF. What, you say? Ford makes bikes? Who knew? The e-bikes are an experiment with the goal of more flexible transportation options for commuters. Still in the prototyle phase, the Ford MoDe:Me bike is foldable – it can fit into the trunk of most compact cars, including the Ford Focus –and only weighs 25 pounds. It is 200 Watts and maxes out at 15 mph, meaning it is permitted on all of the Denver area recreation paths. Inspired by technology used in the automotive world, it has a rear-facing ultrasonic sensor that warns the rider when a vehicle is approaching from behind. It also has a No Sweat feature that adjusts the pedal assist rate to the rider’s heart rate, ensuring that commuters don’t show up to work for the day soggy.

The e-bike might be the ultimate answer to commuting to and from work quickly, parking and pedaling without being stuck in gridlock on I-25, for example.

Go here https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2015/09/01/ford-smart-mobility-tour.html for more information on new Ford technology and the Smart Mobility Tour.