Mr. Pete Hardigan – Director Of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, Asia Pacific, Ford Motor Company
Safety is one of the core values of Ford. With this, they are doing their best to produce vehicles that features the safest technology possible. Just recently, Ford Philippines exhibit the latest technologies that help to build a better future with their “Caring for Tomorrow” campaign.
With the launch of the “Caring for Tomorrow” campaign, Ford Philippines is promoting the greater safety awareness as they showcase some of their latest safety and driver assistance technology that will help drivers in dealing with challenging traffic conditions.
“Ford is a Pioneer in implementing technologies and we are committed to providing safe vehicles in the Philippines all around the world,” said Pete Hardigan, director of Sustainability, Environment & Safety Engineering, Ford Asia Pacific. “We are going to further develop innovative safety technologies, and to make them accessible and affordable. Our engineers are putting themselves in consumers’ shoes and developing features and technologies that make the on-road experience safer and smarter,” he added.
With the kick-off of the “Caring for Tomorrow” campaign, Ford set up an exhibit at the Bonifacio Global City that demonstrates a sneak peek into the future of safety. This allows the people to get a demonstration about the premium and advanced technologies that they are bringing to their latest car models.
Aside from lectures about the latest safety technologies, the visitors also stepped in demonstration vehicles to personally experience what Ford is talking about. Some were asked to be a driver and some were the passengers. Two of the most innovative technologies that they experienced are the Active City Stop and the Active Park Assist.
The Active City Stop is designed to mitigate and, in certain circumstances, avoid low-speed rear-end collisions with stationary or slower-moving traffic in front. The car stops on its own as it senses a near vehicle in front. On the other hand, the Active Park Assist allows the car to steer itself into a parallel parking space. This is a very great feature for those who hate to park or novice in parking.
Professor Dr. Pim van der Jagt – Managing Director of the European Ford Research Center / Executive Technical Leader Global Vehicle Dynamics, Driver Assistance and Active Safety Systems
“Even before demand exists, Ford engineers are brainstorming ideas for safety technologies that we won’t see deployed for another 10, 15, 20 years,” said Pim van der Jagt, managing director of the European Ford Research Center and executive technical leader, Global Vehicle Dynamics, Driver Assistance and Active Safety Systems. “We are developing the safety and smart innovations of tomorrow and making them accessible to our customers. We are not just making smarter and safer vehicles, but also contributing to a better future.”
One vision that Ford is helping to make a reality is vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication.
“In the coming years, we may see more services based on two-way V2V communication systems, allowing cars to communicate with each other about driving and traffic conditions, even when they are out of sight of each other,” said van der Jagt. “In the longer term, we hope to see widespread use of V2I systems, allowing cars to talk to infrastructure and traffic management systems. The result could besafer roads, improved mobility, reduced emissions and fuel consumption.”
“Ford Motor Company has a history of pioneering technology,” added van der Jagt. “From the introduction of the moving assembly line 100 years ago to the advanced safety and convenience features we offer today, to the technologies we are developing for the drivers of tomorrow, we are continuing to define the future of mobility.”
