Sam Krahn 
The 2021 Ford F-150 debuted with many features and little details that separate it from the competition. These features, like the built in generator, fold flat front seats, fold out center console desk, and more, all make life easier for the owners. Ford has just announced some data regarding another cool F-150 feature that not only benefits the owner, but also the planet.
Every new Ford F-150 won’t come with a physical owner’s manual, but instead a digital guide in the infotainment screen. There will, however, be a slim supplemental paper guide. By moving to a mostly digital format, Ford says they will save approximately 290 tons of paper. This equals about 122 average F-150 pickups in weight. Alternatively, if you were to stack the amount of paper saved, it would reach a towering 18,000 feet. For context, that’s about 3,500 feet taller than Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in the Lower 48.
While there are obvious environmental gains to saving this vast amount of paper, just like Apple argues in its simplified iPhone 12 packaging, it also presents some benefits to the customer. At the most basic level, the digital owner’s manual takes up less space in the glovebox.
More than that, it’ll have helpful graphics and videos to teach owners how to use the tech and features of their truck. It’ll also have a search function that will allow owners to find a specific section more easily than flipping through pages or an index of a physical book.
Even though they aren’t necessarily a new idea, more and more automakers will probably switch to a digital owner’s manual for the functional and environmental benefits. Ford is, however, one of the first to go fully digital with the 2021 F-150. FCA is also pushing the envelope with the 2021 Ram TRX Know And Go App, which uses an augmented reality app to supplement the owners manual. Users can point their phone camera at different parts of the car to uncover helpful information on how to use different features.
