Monday 5th September 2011

Ford Evos As Technology Showcase

Evos concept: The car that knows more about you than you do... (says Ford)

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Remember that recent Zurich insurance advert where all the cars are whizzing merrily around, miraculously avoiding one another and without drivers? It's a scenario that might not be as sci-fi as it seems...at least that's what Ford reckons

You'll know, if you've seen the pics of the new Ford Evos concept, that this is the first look at Ford's new 'Kinetic 2.0' design language - and it's one we'll see in a production car in just a few months time (squint and you might just see the next Mondeo, a car that could be unveiled as early as next January's Detroit show).

What you probably won't know is that the Evos is also (theoretically at least) a showcase for Ford's technological vision of the future.

This will be a car, says Ford (though not in quite so many words) that will metaphorically blow your nose for you even before you know you've got a cold.

Using Ford's SYNC technology, it will talk wirelessly to your home and office, telling your alarm clock to wake you up later, especially if it deems that the traffic is thin enough (data gleaned from a constant) monitoring of traffic conditions. It will tell you if your early morning meeting has been cancelled and thus can give you the option of the scenic route into work. It will even tell you if there is a road near your route that your social media chums have tagged as a good route.

Should you choose said scenic route, the car will recognise this and automatically give you its sportiest settings. And if you get too carried away with things, a heart-rate monitor in the driving seat will instruct the car to only display 'essential' dials, minimising your distractions.

When you finally do reach the motorway, it will switch to full-electric mode, allowing you to use the EV-only lane (and monitoring cameras will know you are in EV mode, despite the presence of a tailpipe). And if all that isn't enough for you, it will be able to redirect you to the 'cleanest' route into work if you happen to drive into a smog cloud caused by all those nasty ICE cars... Oh, and it'll find and 'reserve' a parking space with a wireless EV charging point for you. And park the car with you.

All of which is undoubtedly impressive stuff, but you can't help feeling it's all a little bit too much, absolving us not only from the responsibility of everyday driving, but also even from when we choose to leave for work and which route we take.

Coupled with BMW's latest autonomous driving technology, it begins to build a vaguely alarming picture of our motoring future. Do we really want a machine to have that much control over our daily lives?

Ford and BMW clearly think so...

[dvance]

I think this is about giving you the option to relinquish control rather than taking it away from you. No doubt that a lot of people won't think twice about it (i.e. let the car control their commute), but others (mostly PHers) would most probably turn these off and never consider them.

[Miles Perry]

Does this mean the Ford will have its own driving licence, cus I do not want to be totting up the points for my cars misdemeanors!!??

[Deluded]

Really wish gull-wing type doors would make it on to more production cars.

[HedgehogFromHell]

Forgive my ignorance, but if i have the question, someone else probably does...

What's an ICE car?

[lamby]

has somebody on their way to work nicked a grill from an aston? and the new light from the next lotus elise....

Edited by lamby on Monday 5th September 20:57

[OwenK]

HedgehogFromHell said:

Forgive my ignorance, but if i have the question, someone else probably does...

What's an ICE car?

Internal Combustion Engine.


I'm a bit puzzled by this concept. I really want to like it but I just can't get on with the details. The rear end for example, the lights are obviously developments of the recent Mondeo lights... but to me that looks unimaginative and basic rather than evolution. It looks a bit like a weak design student's project rather than a serious direction study for the future of such a large company.

[bobberz]

Bunch of marketing B.S.

I'm more interested in this tidbit:

Pistonheads said:

...Mondeo, a car that could be unveiled as early as next January's Detroit show...

If it's being revealed at Detroit, does that mean it will be a global model? Seems silly, considering that the Ford Fusion is finally making a name for itself in the US market.

If they were going to do a global model, I'd rather have the Australian Falcon replace the Mondeo and Fusion/Taurus.

[Zad]

I have to say that the new Focus is evidence that the "world car" concept just breeds mediocrity. Looking at the cluttered and messy instruments and controls on this concept car is proof in itself that the Californian stylists are having an increasing influence over the next generation of cars. By all means have cars aimed at game console fans, but please don't ignore the adults in the market place too.

I am all for updating styling details, but Ford should remember that it was down to engineering-led design that produced the Focus, Fiesta, Mondeo (and derivatives) that kept Ford in the black whilst the rest of the US auto industry was not just down the pan but half way out to sea. Elegant clean lines will stand the test of time (witness the Mk 1 Focus) whereas adding more and more clutter will give a shorter "shelf life".