Ford wants you to be able to drive while STANDING

Our friends at Motor 1 have unearthed a patent for a special Ford Bronco. This one will allow you to drive while standing. Sounds crazy, right? But wouldn’t having the only car in the world you can drive while standing not be a brilliant coup for Ford?

Let’s look a little closer.

DRIVE WHILE STANDING

First of all, Ford filed this patent back in 2021 when the Ford Bronco was being brought to market. But details of the drive while standing patent have only surfaced now. Just the illustration of a Ford Bronco being driven from the A-pillar is enough to catch our attention.

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The drive while standing function is two-fold in this case. Firstly, you’ll be able to control the vehicle while not seated and in the position depicted – like you’re arriving at a Kurt Darren concert or something.

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Secondly, the patent talks about kneeling and leaning over the side of the doors to have better visibility of the immediate surroundings. Similar to being in an extreme off-road situation where you need maximum visibility. It’s so you can be your own spotter, basically.

IT’S ALL ABOUT MICROCHIPS

If Ford build it and hundreds of students drive Broncos like this at Spring break, is the issue of detecting interior occupants. You see, cars have tens of sensors to keep track if people are in the car wearing seatbelts, for various convenience and safety systems. To this end, the patent says the functionality will only be available in specific modes and at low speeds.

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If you think Ford’s drive while standing patent is crazy, Tesla plumped for gull-wing door for its Model X SUV and got it. There’s a patent for a drive-in movie mode, keeping certain vehicle systems operating while squatting the rear suspension so you can see the screen better.

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There’s even a patent that targets car owners who’ve fallen behind on vehicle payments that can be used by third-party companies to lock owners out of their cars. Of course, the patent process is no guarantee an idea will make it into production. But if we ever get the chance to drive while standing, it will probably be in a Ford Bronco.

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