The number of Ford (corporate.ford.com) employees ‘inventing’ has reached a record level this year. In August alone, more than 4,500 Ford employees submitted ‘invention disclosures’.

When Ford issued an innovation challenge for a device to help people handle city life and get around town, Kilian Vas — a Ford systems engineer in Cologne — came up with a four-wheeled electric pedestrian assistant he called Carr-E (pictured below). Commuters store the device in a vehicle, then use it where cars are not allowed.

Mr Vas’s innovation is one of a growing number of inventions created by Ford employees in recent years. The increase in innovation is expected to reach a company record in 2016, topping last year’s record of more than 6,000.

Raj Nair, Ford executive vice president (product development) and chief technical officer, said: “The significant increase in first-time inventors is a result of our push to drive innovation in all parts of our business. At the same time, we’ve ramped up global innovation challenges, where we seek new ideas company-wide and then — coupled with input from employees — see how we can further those ideas.”

In addition to carrying riders, Carr-E can be used to transport heavy objects. Users simply place the object on the device and it will follow an electronic transmitter they keep in their possession. Mr Vas said: “Innovation is really important for me.

I was inspired by Ford’s expansion into both an auto company and a mobility company.” Ultimately, he sees Carr-E as one of many solutions for the advanced transportation ecosystem evolving in city centres globally.

Meanwhile, when Doug Martin read about a billboard in Lima, Peru, that turned humidity into drinking water for the local population, he thought why cannot cars be a source of water?

Condensation from vehicle air conditioners, which usually just drips to the pavement below, could be used in much the same way. He worked with colleague to bring the idea to life, creating a prototype system that collects, filters and pumps the condensation directly to a bottle inside the car.