Ford Pro & The AA – Conversions Go Digital
So we’re here today at Ford with our outgoing Transit Customs and we’ve come to see the all new Transit Custom and that’s got the Upfit Integration System in it. And we’re likely to be using around about 700 of those next year. The key feature
That we’ve installed on this vehicle is the Upfit Integration System. This is our all new logic system that allows vehicle upfit to be integrated into the base vehicle. That can be access to vehicle communication, that can be signals, for example, handbrake interlocks – all things of the past
Where we end up with lots of switches, lots of wiring, a complicated upfit. The system now integrates everything into our SYNC display. Also, so we can have all soft switches to control the full vehicle upfit. at the push of a button. Our SYNC Integration Module, the small module that packages
Underneath the passenger seat and essentially is hardwired to our SYNC display. And everything you see in the rear is now mirrored here for the driver to cycle between the standard system and their route navigation system is a simple push of a button and you’re back to the original vehicle HMI.
On the older build, vans will normally have around 11 suppliers providing different bits of equipment and on the all-new Transit Custom we’re going to reduce that number right down. That helps us with our admin, helps us to run the fleet a lot more smoothly.
With the all-new Transit Custom, we’ve got lots of benefits for us. The main one being the upfit system on the dash. When we’re working on motorways or fast dual carriageways It’s a requirement for our patrols to get out of the nearside door. This new system allows them to do that freely.
There’s no obstructions in the way. They can just go straight through and then get out safely. So the Upfit Integration System, it really helps. It brings down the amount of suppliers that we have, the amount of kit around the dash,
It allows us to work our recovery equipment from the back of the van. It power that up, it powers up the beacons crucially, it powers up the jump leads and the diagnostic equipment. And this is all done from one interface, which is, you know, is ideal for us. It’s a great solution.
And importantly, it’s intuitive for the patrol when they’re driving because they work in this equipment. From there, it needs to be minimal touch because we don’t want the patrols to be distracted while they’re driving. So it ticks all those boxes. The AA’s relationship with Ford Pro has been magnificent.
It’s got so many benefits to us. If there’s a new model like the all-new Custom coming out, we can get advance warning of that. And that helps us to work with our third party suppliers like the recovery equipment frame manufacturer,
We can give them the new specs, they can build it to the new specs, and we wouldn’t have that if we didn’t have the relationship that we’ve got.
Discover how @TheAA is readying their fleet of 700 Transit Custom vans with digital upfits from Ford Pro Special Vehicles so The AA’s dedicated patrols can deliver better round-the-clock help for their customers.
The AA’s new vans are packed with Special Vehicles’ latest innovations, developed hand-in-hand with our customers for better functionality, a seamless user experience and supporting increased safety when patrols are out on the roads.
#TheAA #Fleet #FordPro #SpecialVehicles
___
Follow us on social media:
▶ YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/c/fordnewseurope
▶ X 👉 https://twitter.com/FordNewsEurope
▶ Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/fordnewseurope
▶ Blog 👉 https://ford.to/FordNewsEuropeBlog
