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Ford Patents a Way To Remove 'New Car Smell' (freep.com)

Ford has filed a patent for a method of eliminating the new car smell after a vehicle has been purchased. In the U.S., "new car smell" is beloved, but in China, customers find the odor disgusting. From a report: While the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office hasn't issued a ruling on the "vehicle odor remediation" patent application, and Ford hasn't committed to moving forward with the project, the paperwork explains what creates the odor so many Americans like: That new car smell is caused by volatile organic compounds given off by leather, plastic and vinyl. Chemicals used to attach and seal car parts may also contribute to the odor. People notice odors when compounds are released, which occurs when a car sits in high temperatures.

Ford scientists describe baking the car until the odor disappears, which happens after compounds are released. The process described in the patent involves parking the car in the sun, opening the windows slightly, and optionally turning the engine, heater and fan on.The system includes special software and various air quality sensors, and works only when fitted to a driverless or semi-autonomous vehicle. A lot of technology is involved in the patent application. The car would determine whether conditions are right to expel compounds, and the car would drive itself to a place in the sun and bake away the offensive odor.

170 comments

  1. Personally I like new car smell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's just VOCs and noxious hydrocarbon vapors.

    1. Re: Personally I like new car smell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I read a post a while back about this. The length of time the car sits in the lot and its location and attitude matter. Cars that sit near the outside of the lot angled toward the sun for long periods of time lose the smell faster

    2. Re:Personally I like new car smell by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

      well you may need to beat the remove fee off the sales forum when you buy a new car

    3. Re:Personally I like new car smell by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      It's just VOCs and noxious hydrocarbon vapors.

      That's why Americans are buying this:
      https://www.chemicalguys.com/N...

    4. Re: Personally I like new car smell by MemeRot · · Score: 1

      " It always feels great to slip into a brand new car and breathe in the scent of freshly-tanned leather, the musk of clean carpets, and the pure essence of clean plastic and rubber car parts". Hmm. That's one way to describe carcinogenic volatile organic off gassing.

    5. Re: Personally I like new car smell by supremebob · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yeah, the strength of the smell really varies on how long it was sitting on the lot.

      I got my new Mini Cooper customized straight from the factory, and damn smell of the plastics off-gassing was enough to give you a headache for the first few weeks I owned it. I ended up having to leave my windows open in my garage to let it dissipate. First world problems, I guess.

    6. Re:Personally I like new car smell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Q: Why do men like women in leather clothing?
      A: Because they smell like brand new cars.

    7. Re: Personally I like new car smell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More leather less plastic, and there wouldn't be so much outgassing. Of course you mentioned a Mini Cooper so I guess you're on a budget.

    8. Re: Personally I like new car smell by slacktide · · Score: 1

      From the same vendor, I prefer Stripper Scent. It really has that âoenew stripperâ smell. https://www.chemicalguys.com/S...

  2. U need this yo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  3. Alternate solution by stealth_finger · · Score: 3, Funny

    Pay a couple of big fat sweaty people to sit in it farting and burping for a couple hours.

    --
    Wanna buy a shirt?
    https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    1. Re:Alternate solution by quenda · · Score: 2

      Pay a couple of big fat sweaty people to sit in it farting and burping for a couple hours.

      I believe the Chinese solution traditionally involves fish heads, but durian fruit imported form SE Asia is becoming more popular.

    2. Re:Alternate solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pay a couple of big fat sweaty people to sit in it farting and burping for a couple hours.

      I am in. What does it pay?

    3. Re:Alternate solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or you could just say "Deep South" residents. TN, AL, MS, AR, GA, SC, NC, LA, KY -- all those fat fuck states. Good thing racists like fried food, it keeps the population count lower just like using rat poison on vermin... squeal little pigs, squeal!

    4. Re:Alternate solution by bettodavis · · Score: 1

      Another alternate solution: rent it as Uber cab for a couple of days.

      After that you'll want to thoroughly disinfect it with bleach.

  4. Also, by sheramil · · Score: 1

    That new car smell is caused by volatile organic compounds given off by leather, plastic and vinyl. Chemicals used to attach and seal car parts may also contribute to the odor.

    It's also given off by the plastic dashboard, which was injection-molded but the tool was so insanely complex that they kept getting pale creases and they used that boot polish that comes in a bottle with a foam applicator to paint the creases out.

    ... not that I'd know.

    1. Re:Also, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Boot polish in burnt umber? Is that where all my GMAC financing went?

    2. Re: Also, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No GM is using on star data right now to adjust the resale value of your car and set interest rates on your next car.

      Source: I worked on the project at GM earlier this year (Hi GMF Dallas, you know who this is)

  5. Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    why you think you need a car?

    1. Re:Explain to me please by Viol8 · · Score: 4, Funny

      When you've grown up and mummy doesn't drive you everywhere and you have to get yourself to places that don't have public transport or nice men driving Ubers (yes, they're cars too), perhaps you'll understand.

    2. Re:Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd rather get an Uber.

    3. Re:Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd rather use a ride sharing service. I don't have to deal with insurance, or maintenance, or repairs or parking or tickets,..... or...., etc. or getting shamed for owning a car.

    4. Re:Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not ashamed. If you take my car keys I'll get them back when I prise them from your cooling dead fingers.

    5. Re:Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      who said anything about taking ur car keys?

    6. Re:Explain to me please by Calydor · · Score: 1

      Because I don't live in a city, and the nearest place to buy groceries is about 10 km away.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    7. Re:Explain to me please by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      why you think you need a car?

      So you're not trapped within a ~five mile radius of where you live.

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    8. Re: Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The same reason you need a computer: to get things done and to go to places where there is no public transportation or it is impractical. Of course I can do this in person while you can only look at pictures on your screen, but you have only yourself to blame for being a fatso buttugly zitfaced neckbeard basement dweller.

    9. Re:Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And if you happen to be somewhere (or need to go somewhere) where there's no ride sharing service, you're fucked.

    10. Re:Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'd rather use a ride sharing service. I don't have to deal with insurance, or maintenance, or repairs or parking or tickets,..... or...., etc. or getting shamed for owning a car.

      Jesus H. Mother Fucking Christ.

      Did you grow up on a boneless chicken farm or something?!?!

      How the fuck do you even walk without one of these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertebral_column

      Grow a fucking spine.

    11. Re: Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So I am supposed to be ashamed of owning a car now? You people are worse than the Catholic church with the guilt...

    12. Re:Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd rather use a ride sharing service. I don't have to deal with insurance, or maintenance, or repairs or parking or tickets,..... or...., etc. or getting shamed for owning a car.

      Shamelessly gay millennial comment. Our best generations are in the past, sadly.

    13. Re:Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd rather use a ride sharing service. I don't have to deal with insurance, or maintenance, or repairs or parking or tickets,..... or...., etc. or getting shamed for owning a car.

      Shamelessly gay millennial comment. Our best generations are in the past, sadly.

      Why'd you insult gays like that?

      GP poster is a sheltered candy-ass sitzpinkler baby. Take him 3 miles out into a forest, confiscate his iPhone, and he wouldn't even be able to walk out. He'd curl up into a helpless fetal ball, whimpering as opossums gnaw him to death.

    14. Re:Explain to me please by PPH · · Score: 1

      getting shamed for owning a car

      To avoid the even greater shame of being seen taking public transit. And showing up for a job interview after having sat in a puddle of hobo piss.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    15. Re:Explain to me please by smooth+wombat · · Score: 1

      Because when one drives a stick shift, getting a used one isn't an option since people think The Fast and Furious movie franchise is how one drives a stick shift.

      --
      We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
    16. Re:Explain to me please by reboot246 · · Score: 1

      You'll have to forgive them. They think the whole country is like their big city, with public transportation and ride-sharing services everywhere. When I look out of my front door I see TREES, not wall-to-wall concrete.

      My work today was 95 miles from home. Nearest grocery store to my home is 7 miles. My doctor's office is 12 miles away. Our office is 23 miles. Last Saturday I went to see a youth football game that was 52 miles from home. And all of this is "local".

      I'm sure there are residents of other states who live in more spread out areas than I do. The people posting here have no clue how big the country is.

    17. Re: Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What do you mean, "I ruined the clutch!"? I didn't even use it!

    18. Re:Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you but no thank you, I have a bike. And the argument that Ubers are cars doesn't convince me that I need one.

    19. Re:Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My vertebral column is probably in better shape than yours because I prefer not to slump in car seats for hours.

    20. Re:Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've lived in a village on a steep hill with the nearest supermarket in the valley 10 km away. I got by just fine without a car. At some point I decided to buy an e-bike to get up the hill without sweating.

  6. People like the smell? by djinn6 · · Score: 1

    I've not heard of anyone who likes it, though it's not a topic that comes up very often and there are some who like the smell of paint thinners and acetone.

    1. Re:People like the smell? by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      I've not heard of anyone who likes it

      You must hang out with an incredibly like-minded group. The new car smell is something that generally polarises people. There are plenty of people out there who like it. Myself included. That said it can't be good for you.

    2. Re:People like the smell? by LostMonk · · Score: 5, Insightful

      People like the associations the smell invokes - an exciting new addition/change in your life that you're going to enjoy - not the odor itself. Same as enjoying the mixture of paint thinner + cleaning detergents + plaster + wood shavings + wet cardboard ... it all combines into "new house smell".

    3. Re:People like the smell? by markdavis · · Score: 2

      >"People like the associations the smell invokes "

      That might be true, but not true as an absolute generality. Some people, myself included, just like the smell, itself. And it varies wildly. For example, from the parent post- I like the smell of paint thinner, but hate the smell of acetone. I have to assume that some of it has to do with genetics and not associations.

    4. Re: People like the smell? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You just need some new car smell air freshener.

    5. Re:People like the smell? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've never understood the appeal of the smell myself, maybe it's because I've always bought my cars pre-owned and never actually had to put up with the smell.

    6. Re:People like the smell? by pr0fessor · · Score: 1

      My thought was why would they want to get rid of the new car scent apparently enough people like it that febreze makes it as an air freshener.

      https://www.febreze.com/en-us/...

    7. Re:People like the smell? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've not heard of anyone who likes it

      Then you've been living under a rock and not paying attention.

      You can buy air fresheners which smell like 'new car', and has been something that has been referenced in pop culture for decades.

      My best guess is it is a prestige thing, but I can't say I've ever been a fan.

    8. Re:People like the smell? by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      I also don't know anyone who likes it.

      But I remember a story, probably actually on /., a decade ago: the smell is put into the cars deliberately. There are companies that tried to "optimize" the "new car smell".

      Unfortunately the only car that I bought new had the smell still after 10 years ... unbelievable, I really hated it.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    9. Re:People like the smell? by TheRealQuestor · · Score: 1

      I've not heard of anyone who likes it, though it's not a topic that comes up very often and there are some who like the smell of paint thinners and acetone.

      don't forget gasoline as well. And nitro methane. Man I used to love the smell of those. Gas smelled better when it was leaded in my opinion, but cox fuel smells awesome lol. I do kind of like the smell of acetone as well. And some pain thinners too. Not in the "i'm gunna huff these things" kind of way but when I fuel up or have to paint or clean paint kind of way :)

    10. Re:People like the smell? by Gilgaron · · Score: 2

      Yeah it is like the smell new PCBs have... opening the antistatic bag on a motherboard or video card is more exciting than it probably ought to be!

    11. Re:People like the smell? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To replace the VOC cancer with the Febreze chemical cancer, duh

    12. Re:People like the smell? by DigiShaman · · Score: 3, Funny

      I like the smell of new tires, shoes, and...may favorite, a freshly cracked can of tennis balls.

      I must have been a dog in a past life.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    13. Re:People like the smell? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There must be some reason that second-hand car dealers insist of spraying a fresh dose of that putrescence into old cars. Apart from natural vindictiveness, of that is.

    14. Re:People like the smell? by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      I must have been a dog in a past life.

      In a past life? Yeah right. You can't fool me!

    15. Re: People like the smell? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's because paint thinner is usually MEK these days, not acetone. There's an extra carbon and a couple more hydrogens. (Methylethylketone versus dimethylketone)

  7. Usually.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm the first one to say, no, read the patent, it isn't THAT obvious.

    Holy shit, VOC's are outgassed faster in a hotter environment?!? And you say you can accelerate dissipation by cracking a window?!?

    I can't tell you how many cars I've stunk up with dead pets for my failure to understand such things.

    1. Re: Usually.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry to dissapoint you, but it's the news outlet botching the shit out of a patent-related story again. Indeed, go read the patent application that they link to.

      Here's the abstract:
      The invention relates to ink compositions containing hydroxylated and carboxylated polymers that are functionalized with reactive metal complexes and alkyl phosphates, which provide adhesion to a wide range of substrates without decreasing the viscosity stability of the composition.

      Pretty much nothing about anything in the article.

    2. Re: Usually.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unfortunately, you're both wrong, having failed to take into account the technical incompetence of journalists and the basic incompetence of slashdot editors.

      Here's the real abstract, from the appropriate US 2018/0319406:

      A method includes detecting, based on a first location of a vehicle and weather data, a condition for removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the vehicle. The first location is a current location of the vehicle. The process further includes determining that a level of VOCs in the vehicle is greater than a predetermined level. A second location is selected to expedite removal of the VOCs, and the vehicle is navigated to the second location.

    3. Re: Usually.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...The invention relates to ink compositions containing hydroxylated and carboxylated polymers that are functionalized with reactive metal complexes and alkyl phosphates, which provide adhesion to a wide range of substrates without decreasing the viscosity stability of the composition...

      They've invented a pointy haired scientist?

    4. Re: Usually.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...Here's the real abstract, from the appropriate US 2018/0319406:

      A method includes detecting, based on a first location of a vehicle and weather data...[stuff that people who don't like the smell have been doing for years] and the vehicle is navigated to the second location.

      So now "but with an autonomous automobile" replaces "but with a computer" for patents.

  8. Smells are additive. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    And you're a voter. (An alias for "complete moron".)

    1. Re:Smells are additive. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Smells are not additive like that, they are chemical, adding new ones causes chemical reactions that alter the properties of the air completely. Hence perfume. And you're a voter?

  9. "What could possibly go wrong"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Car drives off, bakes, catches fire.

    Car drives off from camera protected space, gets stolen.

    Car uses energy, costs you money.

    Car is not present in emergency.

    Car bakes, materials inside deteriorate quicker due to quick shrinkage instead of settling over time

    Car causes injury to third party whilst doing this (third party outside vehicle, pedestrian, other car, etc) liability issue.

    Those are just the ones off the top of my head. Good luck with that patent!

  10. Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by Viol8 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    .... that don't require volatile organics in their manufacture. Perhaps this current fashion for glueing everything could be reverted back to rivets and bolts for a start. And there are plenty of plastics that don't release volatile compounds for months after they're purchased - eg you wouldn't be too happy if your food smelt like a chemical plant after you took it out the packaging.

    1. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      I have the perfect car for you
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    2. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by Cyberax · · Score: 1

      Hey! UAZ is a monster car. It works even if mistreated horribly and usually can be repaired in the field.

    3. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      Sure, but it's going to be more expensive. You won't pay. They don't even put spare tires in cars any more because it increases the price and the weight decreases the gas mileage. You want cheap, cheap, cheap and don't care what materials are. You use phones made with slave labor because they're cheaper for fucks sake.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    4. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Different applications require different materials. Can plastics used in food packaging withstand years of sunlight exposure, the hottest summers/coldest winter and daily stress by passengers?

    5. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      They don't put spares in cars any more because they use up trunk space and that's a competitive point. They still put spares on pickup trucks because they can be stored beneath.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    6. Re: Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They only put a donut under the bed of my Ford pickup.

    7. Re: Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      They only put a donut under the bed of my Ford pickup.

      A spacesaver spare is still a spare, albeit a shit one. Sorry to hear about your Ford, though.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    8. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure, but it's going to be more expensive. You won't pay. They don't even put spare tires in cars any more because it increases the price and the weight decreases the gas mileage. You want cheap, cheap, cheap and don't care what materials are. You use phones made with slave labor because they're cheaper for fucks sake.

      Says the guy posting from a computer made by that same slave labor.

    9. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      But then they would have to have different manufacturing for China, re-test it all for durability and long life etc. They know how those materials perform over 20 years and in all sorts of conditions from desert to sub-arctic.

      It's probably easier just to treat the car to get rid of the smell.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    10. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      They don't put spares in cars any more because ...
      In some countries they can get away with it ... in others they don't.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    11. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by CanHasDIY · · Score: 1

      They don't put spares in cars any more because they use up trunk space and that's a competitive point. They still put spares on pickup trucks because they can be stored beneath.

      Actually most cars still have a well for a full-sized spare, the manufacturers just cheap out for aforementioned reasons.

      My boss was just telling us about a Malibu he used to own - had a flat, and when he went to change it, in the well where the spare should have been Chevy installed a 12v air compressor and a bottle of that green goo shit that never works... but no spare.

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
    12. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      My boss was just telling us about a Malibu he used to own - had a flat, and when he went to change it, in the well where the spare should have been Chevy installed a 12v air compressor and a bottle of that green goo shit that never works... but no spare.

      It costs money to redesign that well, so some vehicles are getting the goo and compressor before they get the well taken away to improve trunk volume. As they buy less spacesavers, they get a worse price on them...

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  11. Why Ford? by mentil · · Score: 1

    If I wanted to sit in a hot car for a few hours and get baked until the smell goes away, I'd buy a Volkswagen.

    --
    Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
  12. What In The Fuck by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 1

    How can you patent parking a car in the sun and leaving the windows open?

    1. Re:What In The Fuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How can you patent parking a car in the sun and leaving the windows open?

      I agree....

      And how can "Ford scientists describe baking the car until the odor disappears," that particular procedure, require a SCIENTIST?
      It is like saying that an Apple Store Genius is an actual Genius...
      As Sheldon said in an episode of the Big Bang Theory... I refuse to contribute to the devaluation of the word Genius...

      I say.. I refuse to contribute to the devaluation of the word Scientist and of the concept of a patent

      But it must mean that if I describe how to get rid of diaper smell by placing the small diaper bag in the trash can,
      then I get to patent it and call my self a scientist? oh please...

    2. Re:What In The Fuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With the USPTO everything is innovative!

    3. Re:What In The Fuck by Rei · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Welcome to Ford. Marketing slogan: The future is built.

      Apparently "the future" means that Ford will leave your car idling in the sun while they sell off data about where you live and work to the highest bidder.

      On the upside: one good recession and Ford will go bankrupt. They're barely hanging on as it is. Which is why they're getting so desperate with extra revenue streams, like that "selling your personal data" idea. That said, I'm sure the Ford brand will still live on; it has plenty of fans. Whoever buys them will probably just keep the lines running largely as they were before, after ditching Ford's accrued debt.

      --
      You people make me envy the deaf and the blind!
    4. Re: What In The Fuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FORD - Found On Road Dead

    5. Re:What In The Fuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How can you patent parking a car in the sun and leaving the windows open?

      It's part of their new 'data mine the customer' business model.
      If they find you've been parked in the sun with the windows open, you're infringing on their patent... cough up or else.

    6. Re:What In The Fuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because it's liken to holding an iPhone wrong. Ford spent billions of dollars doing R&D on smells and found the optimal sun/smell index.

    7. Re: What In The Fuck by MemeRot · · Score: 1

      They patent the computer system that parks it there and monitors the gases

    8. Re: What In The Fuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      first on race day bitch

    9. Re: What In The Fuck by CanHasDIY · · Score: 1

      fucked on race day

      FTFY

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
    10. Re:What In The Fuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, that must be why they only took a subsidized loan during the last crash so that they could remain competitive with the companies that took actual capital investment. GM and Chrysler, giving up capital stock instead of taking a loan, were clearly much further from bankruptcy. They even said so.

      Sarcasm aside, I guess you could argue that they're due- Ford, having never declared bankruptcy, must be the next in line. Or maybe Tesla, given that they've only 10% the experience of avoiding bankruptcy as Ford.

    11. Re: What In The Fuck by reboot246 · · Score: 1

      Fucked On Recent Deal

      The question is, can Ford remove the bullshit smell from their decision to harvest and sell data from their customers?

  13. Car makers are puttic perfumes by havana9 · · Score: 0

    Car makers are putting perfumes in the mnes seats, to make new cars and seat smell 'new'. Besisdes some old cars have a particular smell, especially air-cooled city cars like the old Fiat 500, 126 and Panda or the WV Beetle, even id they were made 60 years ago...

  14. Excuse me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Should we building less cars and not more?

    1. Re:Excuse me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Should we building less cars and not more?

      Why do you think your opinion matters more than the people actually buying cars?

    2. Re: Excuse me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We should build exactly as many cars as people want. Apparently, that is more.

  15. prior knowledge, perhaps? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Good God !!! Really???

    Can you now patent the method of parking a car in the sun, and opening the windows to lose the smell?

    Next they are going to patent using paper to wipe your arse after defecating, in order to reduce
      the smell of excrements on your bottom.

    1. Re: prior knowledge, perhaps? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just as long as it requires an autonomous toilet.

  16. Obligatory "Christine" quote by uncle+slacky · · Score: 1

    "Ain't nothin' better than a new car smell...'cept maybe for pussy"

    --
    Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it.
  17. I wish Ford... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...would just work on making their cars reliable. Bought one back in 2007, and it was a wonderful car but had at least ten trips back to dealer in first two years to get fixed all the shit wrong with it.

  18. I hate those christmas tree air fresheners by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The ones that people dangle from their rear view mirrors.

    To me they're the odor equivalent of scraping your fingernails across a chalk board.

    (Of course these days everyone has whiteboards and nobody knows anymore what a chalkboard is or what scraping your fingernails across them sounds like.)

    And it's easy to get rid of that aroma, just throw the damn things out.

  19. Wrong patent application linked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The patent application linked has absolutely nothing to do with this...what's the correct one?

    1. Re:Wrong patent application linked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Correct link to patent application: VEHICLE ODOR REMEDIATION

  20. It's cultural by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Americans love the smell because they associate it with getting a brand new car. This is a big deal in car culture.

    Chinese hate the smell because it represents chemical contamination, something they know all too well. In China when they buy a new apartment and furnish it, there's a period of six months or so when they leave it vacant. They have to let all the materials outgas before they can live there.

    So it's the different culture in China where every product is toxic and any off smell means you're being poisoned. Even if you buy from a reputable company there's always some middle manager somewhere who is going to substitute inferior materials for the quality materials her factory paid for and pocket the difference.

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    1. Re:It's cultural by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The fumes from the new apartment or car are still in the atmosphere whether or not they can perceive the concentrated smell. If they were worried about toxic/poison maybe they should start with products that aren't toxic/poisonous and avoid contributions to the atmosphere in the first place. Just worrying about a local smell is a little bit selfish here. They don't care about the problem, just about their own personal experience with it.

    2. Re:It's cultural by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

      Actually the smell is associated with stuff that is cheap.

      People who can afford a Ford in China can also afford better furniture. The current fashion is for heavy, solid wood stuff. Incredibly uncomfortable but then again many of them slept on blankets as kids. And of course wood, even treated wood, smells different to plastic.

      The west isn't so different really. People are okay with the new car smell in more affordable motors, but when they buy an expensive one they expect better materials too. One of the most common complaints about car interiors is too much plastic, or too cheap plastic when softer touch synthetic materials would be preferred.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    3. Re:It's cultural by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1, Redundant

      Americans love the smell because they associate it with getting a brand new car. This is a big deal in car culture.

      Exactly. The olfactory nerves are directly wired into the brain. And smell memory is maybe the most potent memory there is. New car smell instantly makes me happy. The smell of crayons takes me back to pre-school. The shore smell relaxes me. That's the good side of olfactory memory.

      Chinese hate the smell because it represents chemical contamination, something they know all too well.

      And we have the bad side. Many concentration camp victims would freak at the smell of chlorinated bleach. And some of the plastics and synthetic rubber coming from China has a distinct naptha smell which would fit within your analysis of their hate of chemical smells. Some others have what I think is estrogen mimics all through them.

      Anyhow - very insightful post.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    4. Re:It's cultural by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      Actually the smell is associated with stuff that is cheap.

      I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss what he wrote. olfactory memory is one of the most potent sorts of memory. Probably evolved to keep us from eating tainted or rotten food.

      There are some Chinese products that I have a visceral and immediate negative reaction to. I'm pretty certain it is an estrogen mimic in some of their plastics, although I've never analyzed it. Smell is powerful, and I think for many people mysterious.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    5. Re:It's cultural by AmiMoJo · · Score: 0

      Careful, that's sounding dangerously close to the great soy boy panic of 2018...

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    6. Re:It's cultural by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is this just anecdotal evidence for why Chinese people don't like the new car smell, or is it actually documented somewhere.

    7. Re:It's cultural by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's to ward of demons. Same as putting your damn son through wearing girls clothes because your cousin didn't die wearing them years earlier.

    8. Re: It's cultural by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "In China when they buy a new apartment and furnish it, there's a period of six months or so when they leave it vacant"
      Not quite right:
      In China when they buy a new apartment and furnish it, there's a period of 6 to 12 months or so when they Rent it out to let it out gas, before it is safe for the owners to move into.

    9. Re:It's cultural by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Careful, that's sounding dangerously close to the great soy boy panic of 2018...

      Close enough.

      THere is a strange sort of denial that I have seen among some people regarding the existence of the Estrogen mimics - usually to ridicule anyone who dares to broach the subject, in the dmanner that some folks might ridicule anti-Vaxxers.

      Yet theere is absolutely no scientific denial that Estrogen mimics and phytoestrogens have an effect upon humans.

      Precocious puberty in females caused by excessive estrogen/estropgen mimics causes health problem in women, and bynecomastia in men is also caused by messed up estrogen to androgen ratio.

      Atrazine, BPA, DDT, Dioxin, Endosulfan, PolyBrominated biphenols, Polyclorinated biphenyls, phthalates, Zeranol, 4-MBC in Suntan lotions, BHA food preservative, FD&C red No 3, Increased consumption of soy and phytostrogenic food.

      While a definitive proof that this overdosing of estrogen mimic and endocrine disrupters are not part of the worrying drops in testosterone production in men, there is a political reason to deny it, and smacks of tobacco industry denial of tobacco's carcinogenic effects Now given that purposely giving a male estrogen is considered an important and necessary part of transitioning from a male to appearance of a female, it is going to take a real interesting tack to pretend that phytoestrogens and endocrine disrupters have no effect on the male of the species.

      I know a few folks who accept that the effect is real, but are actually pleased with that. But they seem to gloss over that while men's health issues are of no concern to them - they forget that females are harmed by this as well.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  21. Self driving patent tech by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think you miss the point. They patent a use for a self driving car.... to drive itself into sunshine to get rid of new car smell.

    It's so they can build some patent portfolio of hundreds of thousands of patents that nobody will ever read, under the banner of "self driving car patents" they can use to extort money from actual companies making self driving cars.

    They don't actually want to get rid of new car smell.

    Similar to what IBM does these days.

  22. Or simply... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ...park the car in the sun with the windows slightly open, and the engine and heating on. Why make life more complicated than that? Oh BTW, yes. The chemical smell of new cars is disgusting as well as the smell of exhaust fumes, burning engine oil/lubricant, and petrol/diesel fumes. Cars just smell foul all the time. They're also loud. The sooner we move on from ICE cars the better.

    1. Re: Or simply... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't mind the loudness and obnoxiousness of cars so much as the way certain subcultures revel in it. A few months ago some moron roared by in a car so 'tuned for noise' that it set off a car alarm in a parked car it went by.

      Sometimes I just want to fire a HERF gun after a shit car as it passes and try the electronics. The negative in that would be suddenly having a stalled angry greasy moron nearby.

  23. ...as far as I know... by timerider · · Score: 2

    ... that "new car smell" is actually a perfume! They put that in to mask the actual smell of a new car which is mainly glue.
    So maybe just "don't spray it in" would be the obvious way to not have that smell?

    1. Re: ...as far as I know... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, it's complex compounds and volatiles. It's unhealthy.

      Plenty of research out there. Google Scholar is our friend.

  24. I had the impression people liked the smell of new by ReneR · · Score: 1

    should they not work on and "patent" the other way round: how to retain it the longest?

  25. Ummmm.... by dohzer · · Score: 1

    Ummmm... can you patent something that my body does naturally?

  26. Kellogs patents method by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For removing marshmallows

  27. Re: I had the impression people liked the smell of by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Some people use new car smell air fresheners. Simple. What is the big deal these days?

  28. The "science" of patenting common sense. by geekmux · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "...The process described in the patent involves parking the car in the sun, opening the windows slightly, and optionally turning the engine, heater and fan on...A lot of technology is involved in the patent application."

    You parked the car in the sun, cracked the windows, and turned on the fan. This is now considered "science" when removing a smell from a car interior? A generation ago we called this common sense.

    I guess I'm getting too old for such patented stupidity.

    And no, putting this "technology" into an autonomous car doesn't make you a genius. That just makes you greedy because you're going to charge the customer another $2000 for some bullshit feature they never asked for. Also known as 21st Century product design.

    1. Re:The "science" of patenting common sense. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If we're following 21st century car design, the tech should also be installed in the bumpers.

    2. Re:The "science" of patenting common sense. by Waccoon · · Score: 1

      Speaking of common sense, most manufacturing processes that require heat utilize an oven, which provides uniform heat under highly controlled conditions, and if done on an assembly line, generally is the cheapest and most efficient option to boot. You know, like baking paint so it dries out in an hour instead of a month. Putting something in the sun sounds like something thought up by a 2nd-grader who forgot that sometimes it rains outside.

      It's just another excuse to file and patent and attach the automotive equivalent of, "on a mobile device".

  29. In America, it's disgusting too. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's preferred over milk-filled vomit drenched used-car smell, but the new car smell is only thought of fondly because of its association with actual new cars. Same thing with factory-fresh electronics. You wouldn't eat a sandwich or kiss the neck of a woman that smelled like new cars or new electronics.

    1. Re:In America, it's disgusting too. by PPH · · Score: 1

      or kiss the neck of a woman

      I wonder how this works out for RealDolls.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
  30. Naah. Just eat at Taco Bell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cheaper and more effective.

    There's a reason it's called "Toxic Hell".

  31. Leather smells great by Kernel+Kurtz · · Score: 1

    My car (not a Ford) is seven years old and I can still smell the leather.

    They better not "fix" that.

    1. Re:Leather smells great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You actually like the smell of leather?

    2. Re:Leather smells great by MBGMorden · · Score: 1

      You actually like the smell of leather?

      You don't? Granted, all smells are subjective, and I actually don't like leather seats in cars (not because of smell but because of the feel), but there's not much that compares to the smell of an old leather holster, camera bag, etc.

      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
    3. Re:Leather smells great by Kernel+Kurtz · · Score: 1

      You actually like the smell of leather?

      Yes, I even sometimes wear it.

  32. Easy Bake Car Oven by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why necessitate an autonomous car to get the job done? Why not have an easy bake oven at the end of the assembly line to bake the whole car before it leaves the production line?

  33. You could also buy a Tesla by Latent+Heat · · Score: 1

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne...

    There are photos of phalanxes of unsold Tesla automobiles parked outside.

    The most likely explanation is that they were being stockpiled to maximize the number of U.S. customers who could benefit from the expiring "FIT" credit of $7500. By stockpiling the cars, Tesla was able to not cross the 200,000 unit number in 2018 Quarter 2 ending June 30. Crossing that statutory number in Q3 didn't count against the credit, hence Tesla ran their factory 24/7 so the cars they made plus inventory met the sales rush from the phased-out credit. There is also full credit in Q4 after which the credit is reduced by half by 2019, and so on.

    Many Tesla critics pointed to these cars stored at airport or industrial park lots as baking in the California sun with attendant degradation. But we now know that proud owners of Tesla cars were spared having to inhale to toxic fumes of the New Car Smell.

    1. Re:You could also buy a Tesla by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My local Lexus dealership has a Tesla Model X out in the front lot that somebody traded in, it's been there for over 3 months now.

    2. Re:You could also buy a Tesla by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Many Tesla critics pointed to these cars stored at airport or industrial park lots as baking in the California sun with attendant degradation. But we now know that proud owners of Tesla cars were spared having to inhale to toxic fumes of the New Car Smell.

      I wonder what the Tesla critics have to say about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?....

      Dangerously close to howaboutism on my part, but I think letting unsold vehicles to rot is a crime.

      Maybe Fort et al, could sell the Chinese these brand new vehicles? Seems they should have outgassed by now.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  34. The New Kid smell by Latent+Heat · · Score: 1

    I purchased a Toyota from a family member, purchased it during his family-formation years.

    16 years later, one is entering college and the other just graduated. When you get into this car and before the A/C kicks in, you still get a whiff of the unmistakable New Kid small.

    1. Re:The New Kid smell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's an entity.

  35. simple solution for china by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Throw a durian in it. done deal.

  36. WTF? by coofercat · · Score: 1

    Let me get this right... they've patented "leaving a car in the sun with the windows open a bit"? Is there anything that can't be patented in the US?

    1. Re:WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, there is: patenting unpatentable stuff. Lots of prior art...

    2. Re:WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Me thinks the patent has more to do with the software written to do the job, then anything else.
      Which is why i hate software patents. They should be banned from patent protection.

  37. Done in Italy by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

    In the 80s, I believe. Apparently, nobody in Italy wanted it.

  38. Ozone-Generator by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    I just put my ozone generator in my car for a couple of hours if it has any smell I don't like, be it wet dog scent or musty smell from too much wet weather. It kills all the smells.

    1. Re:Ozone-Generator by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 0

      I just put my ozone generator in my car for a couple of hours if it has any smell I don't like, be it wet dog scent or musty smell from too much wet weather. It kills all the smells.

      PLease tell us you open all the windows to let the ozone out before driving. Yeah - I know ozone smells good. So does benzene.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  39. But, but... by puddingebola · · Score: 1

    But I like new car smell. I can remember as a kid there was a car wash near my house and one of the interior scent options they'd spray in your car was "New Car Smell."

    1. Re:But, but... by neo-mkrey · · Score: 1

      I also like the smell or new car. But I also like the smell of paint thinner, fresh blacktop and diesel.

    2. Re:But, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The "new car smell" sprays smell nothing like actual new car smell.

  40. Fat Greasy Burger Eater by johnsie · · Score: 1

    It smells better before that fat, greasy burger eating American get into it and drops the mac sauce all over the upholstery

  41. Is Lyft available in more places? by tepples · · Score: 1

    places that don't have public transport or nice men driving Ubers

    I'd rather use a ride sharing service.

    Viol8's comment was referring to places where the Uber ride sharing service is not available. Or is Lyft in a lot of areas where Uber isn't? What am I missing?

    1. Re:Is Lyft available in more places? by Calydor · · Score: 1

      You're missing the part where Uber isn't a ride sharing service but a pirate taxi service.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    2. Re:Is Lyft available in more places? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That makes them even coler. Uberrrr.

  42. drive itself to a place in the sun by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

    The new Ford Iguana...

    Damn thing drove off to Arizona and left me here in the frozen north.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  43. off-gassing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "In the U.S., 'new car smell' is beloved, but in China, customers find the odor disgusting"

    I suppose that there could be some in the US that love to inhale dangerous off-gassing.
    Not me.

    The idea that whole countries share the same opinion is a little strange.

  44. The new car smell... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...is smell of that cancer that you will develop 5, 10, or 20 years from now. Enjoy radiation, chemotherapy and dying early!

  45. Sounds great for the environment. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

    The process described in the patent involves parking the car in the sun, opening the windows slightly, and optionally turning the engine, heater and fan on.

    So, they've patented a way to make global warming worse? Thanks Ford.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  46. Re:I had the impression people liked the smell of by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I con't imagine. It's a really nasty chemical odour.

  47. You can patent opening the door? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So they patented opening the doors, or at least rolling down a window, to let the offgassing of the interior components dissipate into the larger atmosphere of a warehouse?

  48. Is this an Onion Article? by genfail · · Score: 1

    Because Ford getting a patent for "parking in the sun with windows slightly open" sounds like an Onion Article.

  49. To each his own by MBGMorden · · Score: 1

    If there's a market for it in China, then by all means go for it. I personally can't stand when my car finally LOSES that "new car smell". You get a good 2-3 months of it and then I spend the rest of the life of the car using "New Car Smell" Little Trees which don't really smell the same but its still a pleasant scent.

    --
    "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
  50. All the "baking" you need... by ZoomieDood · · Score: 1

    Baking soda

  51. A steep price for reducing volatiles by GPS+Pilot · · Score: 1

    In China when they buy a new apartment and furnish it, there's a period of six months or so when they leave it vacant. They have to let all the materials outgas before they can live there.

    Maybe that's what they would like to do, but this pings my BS meter.

    Paying six months of rent or mortgage on a place you're not living in is a financial hardship in any country.

    --
    That that is is that that that that is not is not.
    1. Re:A steep price for reducing volatiles by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      It's normal in China. When they buy an apartment, it is four bare walls with pipes sticking out. It takes two years to furnish before it's livable. You can move in early if you want, but all the other apartments near you are going to have construction noise, dusty workers hogging the elevator, etc. Chinese people consider they will live in the apartment their whole lives so it's not a big deal to them.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
  52. Investitionen in R&D? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I guess lots of moneys were invested in this top-notch revolutionary research

  53. Re:You Chinese?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's so weird that your'e such a faggoty, child-molesting, cowardly bitch who balls up in the fetal position and sucks his own dick while chanting, "make the bad man stop" instead of being a man and posting under your real name. Loser!

    gerald butler's impersonator

  54. Re:True. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you'd stop eating your own shit, I wouldn't have to castigate you for it. Now fuck off. When you are ready to converse under your real name and have something useful to say, we'll talk. Until then, please stop eating your own shit and cowering in the corner like a whiny little bitch.

    gerald butler's impersonator

  55. Different smells, that's why the Chinese hate it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > In the U.S., "new car smell" is beloved, but in China, customers find the odor disgusting

    Maybe that's because new cars don't smell the same in the US vs the Asian ones. Honest to god, every time I've had people show off their brand new Nissans, Hondas, Toyotas, etc, I find they all have this very distinctive "horse manure that's been baking in the sun" smell. A mixture of dirt and hay and, well, horse shit.

    My dad worked as a mechanic for a car dealer (one of the US Big Three) for over 40 years, so he's been around the new car smell all his life. He concurs about the Asian cars; it's not just my imagination.