Ford's Pothole Detection Tech is Perfect for PH Roads

The all-new, fourth-generation Ford Focus was launched globally in April. Brimming with various tech systems, one such system we think would be perfect for Philippine roads is its Pothole Detection Technology--something which was still in development last year. According to Ford, the system works when it senses a wheel as it is falling into a hole, which then adjusts the suspension so that the wheel doesn't fall harshly into it. Furthermore, since the system has already detected the pothole as the front wheel falls into it, the rear suspension is already tuned to react to the pothole even before the rear wheel falls into it--and all this happens in a split second. "Our engineers are always searching for the roughest roads to really test our suspension to the limit, but more and more we're noticing that the rough roads are finding us," said Ford Focus Vehicle Dynamics Supervisor, Guy Mathot. "Potholes are a problem that isn’t going away anytime soon, but with our advanced suspension technology for all-new Focus, we've been able to reduce their impact."

Ford developed the Focus' suspension systems using a specially-created road at its test facility in Belgium, which measures 1.9 kilometers long and supposedly consists of "precise replicas of some of the worst potholes and road hazards from around the world." Its engineers further refined the systems with hundreds of hours of testing on a diverse range of public roads in Europe, using equipment that are similar to those used by seismologists to study earthquakes to monitor the loads and strains the Focus' suspension goes though. The all-new Focus's pothole detection system is part of its Continuously Controlled Damping technology which monitors the suspension, body, steering, and braking inputs every two milliseconds and then adjusts how the vehicle's suspension responds "for the smoothest ride quality." The only problem we see with the pothole detection system is that the Continuously Controlled Damping technology is an optional feature. That means it's not part of the standard package of the all-new Ford Focus and that you'll have to pony up more cash to get it. So if we'd like to see it offered as standard in the Philippine-market Ford Focus if and when we get it, Ford Philippines' product planners have to specify it as such. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cKSDwERViE