If Ford has its way, power steering will be an afterthought to its new technology.
The auto manufacturer has announced that it will include its adaptive steering system as a standard feature, begininning with the 2016 Ford Edge Sport model. It will also be availble for the 2016 Ford Edge Titanium model. Adaptive steering facilitates maneuverability of a vehicle at low speeds, while allowing it to be more agile at higher speeds.
"First and foremost, all Ford Motor Company products have to offer a great driving experience," Raj Nair, Ford group vice president of its global product development division, said in a press release statement. "This new steering technology can help make vehicles easy to maneuver and fun to drive."
With an adaptive steering system, the steering wheel constantly adjusts to the driver's actions, responding in all conditions and situations. Let's say you're trying to squeeze into a tight parking spot or perform a U-turn in cramped quarters—the adaptive steering system will offer you more steering, so you don't have to turn the steering wheel all the way around and start all over, the way drivers without the technology would have to. The steering changes the ratio between the turn of the steering wheel to the turn of the front wheels based on vehicle speed.
The opposite reaction would take place on the highway, when driving at higher speeds. At that point, the adaptive steering system would ease off a bit, offering a more free, agile ride. The system works with an actuator, an electric motor/gearing device, which increases and decreases drivers' steering inputs for a better driving experience, which fits within a vehicle's steering wheel.
Ford also plans on rolling out with the technology with other Ford and Lincoln vehicles in the future.
