Ford Patents Car Repossession Technology

Ford has applied for a patent to repossess self-driving cars by programing them to drive back to the showroom, or lock a driver out, The Independent reports.

The technology would be used in the event of a customer’s failure to make their car payments and apply to semi-autonomous cars, as well.

Titled “systems and methods to repossess a vehicle,” the patent says a car can be moved from wherever the owner has put it to “a repossession agency, lending institution [or] impound pound.”

If the car or truck is only partially self-driving, the computer can instruct the car to move to a location convenient for a tow truck to retrieve the vehicle.

Ford would enable drivers on their way to critical or emergency situations to retain some control over the car by allowing them to drive to a hospital, for example, or within a “geofence” to permit a child to be dropped off at school.

In recent years, increasingly autonomous cars have been programmed with software that can be updated.

For instance, BMW in the U.K. rolled out heated seats that drivers could install in their cars via software upgrades for 15 pounds a month.