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Ford patents self-driving car that will take itself back to showroom if finance payments are missed

Published 02 March 2023
By Caroline Kidd
Ford has submitted a patent that could give future self-driving cars the ability to be repossessed if the owner misses payments.
Polestar 5 patent render

Polestar 5 design leaked

The design of the 2024 Polestar 5 electric car has been revealed ahead of the car’s launch as part of a series of patent renders.
Published 08 June 2022
Safety expert questions Ford billboard patent

Patent to beam adverts into cars 'worrying'

A new Ford patent that would see billboard advertisements projected onto infotainment screens may pose "worrying" safety issues.
Published 19 May 2021
2020 Tesla Model Y: prices, range, specs and release date

Tesla ‘hybrid battery’ allows 20% more range

A team of researchers working with Tesla have devised technology to boost electric car range without increasing the size of the battery pack.
Published 05 May 2020
Ferrari joystick steering patent 2019

Ferrari patents joystick control steering

Ferrari is looking to reinvent the steering wheel with its future supercars and grand tourers, if a recent patent is anything to go by.
Published 08 November 2019
Toyota will let you use its hybrid tech royalty-free

Toyota drops royalty fees for electric car tech

By dropping the royalties on nearly 24,000 patents, Toyota hopes other car makers can accelerate their development of new electric cars.
Published 04 April 2019
Toyota patents thief-deterring in-car tear gas dispenser

Toyota patents thief-deterring tear gas dispenser

Toyota has filed a patent for a novel security tool: an in-car air freshener that can also spray tear gas to ward off potential thieves.
Published 27 March 2019
Motorola's autonomous police car scans suspects and drives them to jail

Motorola files autonomous police car patent

Motorola's patented tech would allow criminals to be detained and questioned by judges in autonomous police cars.
Published 05 October 2018
Toyota files patent for an electric VTOL flying car

Toyota files flying car patent

Toyota has filed a patent for an innovative flying car — complete with retractable rotor blades that are stored in the wheel covers.
Published 01 October 2018
Apple's self-driving car may use VR to simulate escaping a zombie horde

Apple self-driving car will let you fight zombies

Fully self-driving cars may be a long way off, especially since the fatal Uber accident last month, but that isn't stopping some technology...
Published 05 April 2018