What else will Ford, and other automakers, steal from Tesla? As one of the first electric vehicle titans in the industry, Tesla came up with many great ideas. One of them is Tesla’s dog mode, seemingly coming to Ford vehicles soon. According to a recent patent application the American brand filed, Ford pet mode technology is a new feature coming soon.

Ford patent reveals pet mode and other new features

Ford didn’t file a patent just for pet mode. In actuality, the patent application shows a ‘vehicle control manager.’ It seems that this function allows the pets owner to control the temperature, windows, and music for the pets in the car remotely. According to Car and Driver, it isn’t just for activating the driver’s music taste either. Instead, Ford says owners can turn on “relaxing music for the pet’s enjoyment.”

If your dog, or other pet, is the spoiled type that gets everything they want, pet mode is perfect. What does “relaxing music for the pet’s enjoyment” mean? We’re taking it to mean that Fords will have custom, relaxing music built-in for the pets. Maybe the type that helps you drift off to sleep on a rough night. Regardless of what it means, it ensures your pet will be happy and comfortable if left inside the vehicle.

Is Ford pet mode different from Tesla dog mode?

In Tesla vehicles, dog mode is a climate control feature to leave the car’s air conditioning or heater on the inside. Of course, this is when the owner needs to run inside somewhere and temporarily leave their pet. While dog mode is active inside a Tesla, the large infotainment screen on the front center dashboard reads, “My owner will be back soon. Don’t Worry! The heater or air conditioning is on, and it’s XX degrees.” This message is obviously meant to comfort passersby and prevent unnecessary break-ins to save the dog.

Moreover, Ford’s application talks about using the key fob or smartphone app to make a parked vehicle comfortable for a pet. Lowering windows, changing the temperature, opening the sunroof or liftgate, or tilting and folding seats for more space are all possible. In addition, CAD says owners could use the pet button on the key fob to open the door from the outside for the dog or other pet to hop in or out. It seems Ford has taken Tesla’s original idea and ran with it, making it much more complex.

What else do we know about the Ford pet mode patent?

Ford’s patent application doesn’t reveal every detail about the new feature. Ford Authority suspects that the automaker will add the technology to all of its new electric vehicles. Additionally, it doesn’t describe how the automaker will implement the technology into cars. CAD guessed that the system might use an RFID sensor that communicates with an RFID tag attached to the pet. This way, Ford models would instantly know a pet is on board and engage pet mode when necessary.

Tesla dog mode walked so Ford’s pet mode could run. One thing that isn’t mentioned in the patent application is on-screen messaging similar to a Tesla. We hope Ford uses the same idea with their future pet mode. Although they mean well, someone might break a window thinking there’s a suffering pet inside. In reality, that pet could be hanging out in the perfect temperature, listening to some relaxing music for their enjoyment. That’s Ford’s newly revealed pet mode, which they’re stealing from Tesla.