Arachnophobes rejoice, Ford has developed an innovative new screen designed to keep spiders and other creepy-crawlies out of your car.
Known as the ‘spider screen’, the small piece of kit prevents spiders from building nests inside vehicles’ fuel lines, which can lead to a reduction in performance and even damage the engine.
Certain spider species, like the yellow sac spider which is common throughout Europe and the UK, make cocoon-like webs for shelter and to lay eggs, particularly during the winter months.
It’s such a problem that Mazda has been forced to recall more than 100,000 vehicles in the past four years after spiders were found to be making their homes inside their cars’ components.
As a result, David Gimby, Ford fuel systems engineer, began looking for a solution to keep the bugs out of vehicles as far back as 1999, despite having no background in arachnology.
After researching the science of spiders, Ford produced its first spider screen in 2004, but a new and updated version is due to debut in Ford cars from next year, starting with the new Ford Focus RS.
David said: “Spiders can be a nuisance for our vehicle owners. We studied these species to discern how they nest, then designed an effective device for excluding the larger, problematic spiders from nesting in our cars.”
“When it’s time to build a birthing cocoon or an over-winter cocoon, they seek a cavity or a depression, like a fuel vapour line opening, which allows them to maximize the use of their silk.”
Ford states that keeping these lines clear doesn’t just affect vehicle performance, but is also key to allowing fuel vapours to be captured by the vehicle’s carbon canister to protect the environment.
William Euliss, Ford fuel systems engineer, said: “There is a significant amount of engineering that goes into every detail of our vehicles, like the spider screen.
“We are constantly improving and adapting, even when it comes to technologies that are already working.”
