Tesla has a lot of fun with hidden features in its vehicles. Letting owners turn the car into a light show, romance mode, or even make fart noises. Now, it looks like Ford wants in on the fun, filing a new patent to let owners rev the engine remotely.
Imagine using the key fob or a mobile app to get the engine revving, even when you’re not inside the vehicle. It sounds odd, but it could be a fun party trick for enthusiasts at car meets, car shows, and other events. Or, you know, to scare the neighbor kids.
According to a patent application spotted by the enthusiast forum 7th Mustang, that’s exactly what could be coming soon. While the patent filing goes back to 2020, Ford officially published the patent on May 5th, 2022.
After reading over the report, Ford explains that the technology would let owners rev the engine using an “input device operated by the user,” and the motor could be engaged “at various distances from the vehicle” without pushing down on the accelerator.
The patent then explains letting owners start the engine, have it rev for a select period of time, or even rev in custom patterns and at different RPMs to create music notes. Fuel economy and gas prices are a big concern these days, but you might as well waste some gas playing a song with your engine for some friends.
It looks like Ford isn’t just thinking about gas-powered vehicles, either. The patent specifically mentions pre-recorded engine noises for EVs or even remote-controlled “flux capacitor” sounds. I think it would be awesome to hear the engine revving and roar to life for an unlock noise as you walk up to the vehicle and use the key fob.
It’s worth noting that Ford has recently filed several patents as of late, including a drift mode, pet mode, remote parking, and other things to keep up with the likes of Tesla and Rivian. For example, Tesla had a “boombox mode” that let owners play music outside of the car, but it recently got removed as part of a software recall.
Just because Ford patented an option for remote revving the engine doesn’t mean it’ll be coming anytime soon, but it sure sounds fun.
via The Verge
