Ford is offering a new lineup of plastic protection shields, which can be easily fitted to the interiors of its Transit and Tourneo models to help with social distancing. They've been designed with taxis, school buses, and public transport applications in mind, and are available from Ford dealers across Ireland.
Removable interior fittings
"Commercial vehicle operators have faced unprecedented challenges in 2020 and are adapting to new norms as they continue to provide their vital services to our communities and economy," said Owen Gregory, Director, Commercial Vehicle Aftersales, Ford of Europe. "Our new protection shields provide additional support to our customers as they continue to operate in challenging circumstances, offering drivers and passengers additional peace of mind as they work and travel."
The impermeable shields are made of transparent polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic with integrated straps for simple installation and can be sanitised as part of operators' interior disinfecting procedures.
Maximum flexibility for spontaneous adventures
Priced between €82 and €98, the shields are easy to install, hanging from suction cups which stick to the windows or to interior cabin fittings. They don't require any cabin modifications and are designed to pack flat when not in use.
Once fitted to the car, Ford says that they do no "restrict passenger comfort, interior space or operation of the heating and ventilation systems. The transparent PVC material also allows the driver to retain full visibility of the windscreen, side windows and mirrors, and passengers can still hear and see each other as normal."
Electronic driver aids
There are four separate configurations of shields, one for dividing the front seat passengers, a partition to separate the front seats from the rear of the cabin, separating the driver, the front passenger and the rear seats, and another that divides the second and third rows of rear seats.
Initial availability is for Transit vans and people movers, Transit Custom and Tourneo Custom, with shields for Transit and Tourneo Connect, and Transit and Tourneo Courier following later this year. Ford Accessories offers a range of storage, protection and security enhancements backed by a Ford warranty to best equip vehicles for customers' specific needs.
In addition, Ford is researching advanced solutions for partitioning cabin interiors, which could also help improve fuel and energy efficiency for future vehicles. The company has recently patented a system that can deploy automated, deformable walls in multiple configurations within the cabin to enable temperature control within specific areas for more efficient energy use.