Update: Ford Equips Trucks With RFID Tool-Tracking App, Internet Access

RFID developer ThingMagic and tool manufacturer DeWalt will develop the tracking application for consumers who want to keep better track of tools, construction equipment and materials loaded in the trucks. Ford Work Solutions Tool Link by DEWALT relies on a specially designed RFID reader system powered by ThingMagic's Mercury 5e embedded module and a pair of antennas in corrosion- and impact"resistant housings mounted in the pickup box.

Ford Motor, DeWalt, and ThingMagic's Advanced Development Group worked closely during the past year to design and implement the RFID option. Rugged labels were designed to allow truck owners to tag, scan and track expensive tools, equipment and other assets using the ThingMagic system aimed at preventing theft of expensive equipment.

Other carmakers--BMW, Daimler, and Mercedes--have adopted RFID to track parts through the production line. In this week's feature, NXP Semiconductors' Marc de Jong reveals a project that would let cars communicate with the keys that start them, storing information and global positioning system (GPS) coordinates. With this latest announcement, however, Ford lays claim to becoming the first automotive manufacturer to offer passive embedded RFID technology in its vehicles, allowing consumers track assets and inventory.

There were challenges to develop the dealer-installed accessory. The consumer application, geared toward construction and electrical contractors and trades professionals, had to be bullet proof.

For starters, environmental challenges proved difficult. Installing the application in the truck meant moving it from a clean dust-free environment in a sterile test lab, to the bed of a truck where dirt and water are frequently encountered on job sites. Some contractors travel miles down unpaved gravel roads through dust clouds to reach their destination.

Aside from environmental challenges, retrofitting the application into an existing F-150 truck became difficult too. The application had to tie into an in-dash computer system with access to the Internet. The computer runs on Windows CE. "The challenge of mechanically interfacing the readers, antenna and software to the truck was extensive," says Ravi Pappu, ThingMagic cofounder who runs the company's Advanced Development Group. "Given the launch date at the Chicago Auto Show, the delivery date wasn't negotiable."

ThingMagic and DeWalt had six months to complete the project. Pappu says other companies had informed Ford early on that the project wasn't feasible using passive RFID.

The RFID industry has been a "little ego centric and focused on the technology and not solutions to real problems," Pappu says. "Once you achieve high read rates, standards, low-cost modules, there's a challenge to turn all the pieces into a cohesive product."

Ford also unveiled a reworked version of the Explorer sport utility vehicle with sliding side doors and room to seat six, along with a sleek entry into the subcompact market. The smaller car, named Verve, will go on sale in Europe and Asia next year and in the United States in 2010.