- Ford’s MyKey™ is a programmable feature that allows fleet owners to limit top speed and audio volume of vehicles, and set speed alert chimes to encourage safer driving
- MyKey allows fleet customers to ensure optional safety features such as the AdvanceTrac with RSC (Roll Stability Control) system and traction control are not disabled by the driver
- MyKey can help fleet customers save money on fuel by encouraging drivers to operate at more moderate speeds
- MyKey will debut next year on popular Ford fleet vehicles
DEARBORN, Oct. 8, 2008 – Ford Motor Company is introducing an innovative new technology called MyKey that will help fleet owners encourage safer driving behavior by their vehicle operators.
The feature, which will debut on several popular Ford fleet vehicles in mid-2009 at no additional cost, allows fleet customers to limit top speed and radio volume, set speed warnings, encourage safety belt usage, and assure important safety systems remain engaged to help protect drivers and vehicle inventories.
“MyKey gives fleet owners peace of mind by providing a simple, affordable way to help reinforce safe driving policies and manage at-risk drivers,” said Gerry Koss, Ford’s fleet marketing manager. “For fleet owners, safe driving behavior by vehicle operators is a bottom-line issue.”
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), the average motor vehicle crash can cost an employer $16,500, while an on-the-job crash that results in injury can cost employers an average of $74,000. Motor vehicle accidents that result in the death of an employee or third party are even more costly. Traffic accidents are a leading cause of death for people who operate motor vehicles as part of their job.
Ford’s MyKey can help fleet owners better mitigate one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes – excessive speed. NHTSA data shows that speeding is a contributing factor in 30 percent of all fatal crashes.
United States Infrastructure Company (USIC), a Carmel, Ind.-based utility services business that operates a fleet of 3,500 vehicles nationwide, could benefit from using MyKey, said Phil Samuelson, USIC purchasing and asset manager. The company uses many Ford trucks and SUVs, and its drivers put an average of 24,000 miles on each vehicle every year.
“Operating a fleet equipped with MyKey technology could be great for our business and our drivers,” Samuelson said. “By encouraging safety belt use and limiting the top speed and audio volume on our vehicles, we’d be better able to protect our employees and our fleet investment while potentially saving fuel, too.”
For MyKey, Ford improved an existing, proven technology – the SecuriLock™ passive anti-theft system – with software upgrades to develop a new unique feature for customers, said Jim Buczkowski, director, Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering – the same team that developed SYNC in partnership with Microsoft.
“We developed MyKey’s functions in such a way to quickly spread it across multiple vehicle lines, giving us the ability to go mass market in the spirit of other Ford innovations such as safety belts, stability control and SYNC,” Buczkowksi said.
Holding the key
The MyKey system allows fleet owners to program any key through the vehicle message center, which updates the SecuriLock passive anti-theft system. When the MyKey is inserted into the ignition, the system reads the transponder chip in the key and immediately identifies the MyKey code, which enables certain default driving modes, including:
- Persistent Ford Beltminder™ with audio mute. Ford’s Beltminder system typically provides a six-second reminder chime every minute for five minutes. With MyKey, the audio system is muted with the first Beltminder chime and the chime continues at the regular interval until the safety belt is buckled. A message center display “Buckle Up to Unmute Radio” also appears on the instrument cluster.
- Earlier low-fuel warning. Rather than a warning at 50 miles to empty, MyKey provides a warning at 75 miles to empty.
- If MyKey is in the ignition, features such as Park Aid and BLISTM (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross Traffic Alert cannot be deactivated.
Additional MyKey features that can be programmed through the vehicle’s message center setup menu:
- Limited top speed of 80 mph
- Traction control system, that limits tire spin, cannot be deactivated
- Limited audio volume to 44 percent of total volume
- A speed alert chime at 45, 55 or 65 mph
Using MyKey to help avoid speeding can provide an added benefit – improved fuel economy. Ford research shows that driving 55 mph instead of 65 mph consumes 15 percent less fuel.
Ford internal research helped identify the preferences fleet managers consider most useful, with the persistent BeltMinder and speed limit restrictions at the top of the list.
Ford engineers incorporated alert mechanisms that would make the Ford BeltMinder system even more attention-getting for MyKey drivers. For example, the audio system will not work if the driver is not buckled up.
“The audio system was our best option, because we know that muting the radio gets people’s attention,” Buczkowski said.
“Fleet owners face a variety of unique challenges in order to operate a sound, successful business,” Koss said. “MyKey builds on Ford’s reputation as a company committed to offering the smart technologies that address these specialized customers’ needs and differentiate us from the pack.”
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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 224,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.
