If you are like most people, you don’t like spiders. They bite and some are even poisonous. Some people even have an irrational fear of spiders. If you don’t like spiders, you most definitely don’t like spiders in your car. Spiders in cars have even caused accidents amongst some drivers as they panic and try to get away from the arachnids all while losing control of their vehicles. For those who despise the eight legged creepers, Ford is working on a solution for you.
Yellow sac spiders have been known to nest in vehicles in North America crawling up the arms of drivers and even hanging from thin webs throughout cars. This has caused problems for not only drivers, but auto manufacturers as well. These spiders don’t build webs to catch their prey in vehicles, instead, they spin a cocoon type structure and lay eggs inside vehicles. These are dense enough to sometimes block fuel vapor lines, leading to engine damage and diminished performance.
Ford Engineer David Gimby began looking into how to keep these spiders at bay back in 1999. He began researching the life and science of arachnids. Then in 2004, Ford produced its first spider screen to keep spiders from nesting inside vehicles. Ford studied the spiders to understand how they nest, then build an effective device to keep out larger spiders that have become problematic.
Ford is working on an improved version of the device that will be implemented globally across the Ford North American lineup. The launch of the 2016 Ford Focus RS will begin the device’s debut. By keeping fuel vapor lines clear, air and vapor circulation for the vehicle’s carbon cannister will be able to perform optimally. Fuel vapors will be captured completely so that they do not enter the environment.
The invent of the spider protecting device shows that Ford is innovative and continually looks for ways to better the driving experience for consumers. They not only look at ways to improve comfort, they look at the smaller more detailed items to lessen potential headaches for car owners.
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