These days cars are built with all sorts of comforts, and auto manufacturers are looking for ways to extend those to our furry family members. In 2019, Tesla released “Dog Mode,” making it safe for owners to leave pets in their vehicles for a short period. Now, Ford’s patented “Pet Mode” looks to offer something similar, if not even better.
Tesla owners can activate Dog Mode for those unaware, which keeps the car’s HVAC running while the vehicle is parked. The main idea is to keep pets warm in the winter or cool in the summer. Along with maintaining a set cabin temperature, Tesla’s Dog Mode displays a message on the center infotainment screen with the internal temp and a message, so anyone passing by knows the animal is comfortable and safe. Owners can engage Dog Mode on the touchscreen.
And while Tesla was first to offer such a feature, Ford patented a similar “Pet Mode” ahead of Tesla. According to the forum Lightning Owners, the patent was filed in 2018 and published in February 2022, suggesting it’ll be coming out soon.
Like Tesla’s system, Ford’s Pet Mode will keep the internal cabin at a set temperature. Furthermore, the patent suggests a single button-press on the key fob will engage pet mode, change the HVAC temp, lower several windows, or even open/crack the sunroof. That way, pets get a nice breeze of fresh air if it’s a nice day. Better yet, Pet Mode will disable all window and door lock switches, ensuring pets can’t accidentally roll the window down and escape.
The patent filing reveals that Ford’s Pet Mode would be customizable where owners can set it to open a tailgate for a dog to jump in, lower the rear seats to give your furry friend more room, and more. In addition, owners could set a specific temp, which windows get cracked, and even music for the vehicle to play once the mode gets engaged.
Additionally, it looks like Pet Mode can easily be activated, adjusted, or controlled from a smartphone app, which makes sense these days. For example, allowing an owner to change the temperature on the fly or lower the seats if they’re taking longer in a store than expected.
Looking further into Ford’s patent, the company has some unique yet potentially awesome ideas. The filing mentions “a hydration system” that could deliver fresh, cool water to pets or even an RDIF chip system that will recognize a chip in a pet’s collar. Then, Ford vehicles could activate pet mode automatically if the pet is in the vehicle while it’s parked.
Unfortunately, just because this is a published patent doesn’t mean Ford will bring it to the market. We see patents all the time that never get released. However, with upcoming electric vehicles, including the Ford F-150 Lightning on the way, it makes a lot of sense. We’ll keep an eye out for more details.
via Auto Blog
