No matter what the weather, drivers of new Ford Transit and Transit Custom vans will have side wind stabilisation technology fitted to their vehicles.
Ford says the new technology will help reduce stress for drivers while on journeys in strong winds.
The system has been developed by Ford and will monitor the van’s sensors 100 times every second and should a gust of wind be detected the system will apply carefully the brakes to one side of the van to help ensure the driver stays in their lane.
System is being fitted to new Transit and Transit Custom vans
The new system is being fitted to new Transit and Transit Custom vans along with the firm’s highly efficient new EcoBlue diesel engine.
There’s no doubt that strong winds provide a challenge to all motorists but for those in high sided vehicles they are a particular threat.
Along with protecting the van from being hit by side winds, the system also protects against a crosswind or the turbulence created by a large lorry.
A spokesman for Ford said: “No-one likes the feeling of being caught by a gust of wind or when passing near to a fast-moving lorry and the technology will help to make driving less stressful for drivers on stormy winter days.”
System will work on the van at speeds over 50 mph
The system will work on the van at speeds over 50 mph and will take less than 200 milliseconds to react to a sudden gust of wind.
The new side wind stabilisation system has been extensively tested on vans at a test track that has six powerful fans fitted to help generate crosswinds at speeds of up to 50 mph.
The system has also been tested on roads which are notorious for having strong winds to contend with.
Buyers of the new Ford Transit and Transit Custom models
For those buyers of the new Ford Transit and Transit Custom models, the EcoBlue diesel engine will also help lower the cost of owning a van and deliver performance benefits.
Ford says its new state of the art engine will boost fuel efficiency by 30% and low-end torque by 20%.
Other new assistance features for the vans include a pre-collision emergency system which helps to reduce the impact for front-end collisions involving pedestrians and vehicles and will help the driver avoid some potential impacts altogether.
To see Ford’s new side wind stabilisation technology in action, this video explains all:
https://youtu.be/Aka7PXsjrgc