Mar 6, 2023
Have you ever heard of the repo man? They’re the ones who come to take away your car if you don’t make your payments on time. But what if your car could take itself away?
Car companies are considering a future where self-driving cars could repossess themselves if people don’t make their payments on time. Ford has filed a patent for this kind of system, which would allow cars to drive themselves back to the lender or even the junkyard if necessary. However, this system could also make life difficult for people who are struggling to make payments, as features like air conditioning could be disabled, or the owner could be locked out of their car.
Even if your car doesn’t have self-driving technology, your lender can still keep you from using your vehicle if you’re behind on payments. It’s important to make your car payments on time to avoid any issues.
Ford has also filed a patent for a system that can be installed in cars connected to the internet, allowing banks to disable certain features of the car if the owner is behind on payments. The car could also be moved to a more convenient location for a tow truck to take it away, or even driven to a junkyard if it’s not worth enough money to sell.
Although this might seem alarming, it’s important to note that this is only a patent application and may never come to fruition. The patent includes safety measures to prevent the car from being disabled in emergency situations and to prevent the owner from being locked out of the car. The patent suggests that this system could also be used on autonomous cars in the future, but it’s uncertain if this will become a reality.