Airplanes can be refueled mid-air. The technology to do so has existed for decades. But, it hasn’t been used for automobiles, maybe due to a lack of actual use of the tech. But, if a recently published patent is to be believed, Ford cars will soon have the capability to be “refueled” on the go.
Your Ford electric vehicle (EV) will have a charging interface on the body. The charging interface will let you recharge your car, even while driving, by a mobile charge vehicle through a recharging arm.
The recharging arm has three joints which allow it to be extended and maneuvered in to rotate and extend to multiple positions through connected motors. The recharging arm will connect to your car (as shown in the figure above) through a charging interface of its own which is connected to the battery of the charging vehicle through a cable.
The recharging arm also has a spring mechanism to maintain the connection with your vehicle even if the road is bumpy. The charge vehicle will also be equipped with sensors like radar, cameras, and LIDAR to maintain its position while recharging your ride. You will be able to request for a mobile charge vehicle while driving, or your car will do so automatically if it needs a top-up.
It remains to be seen how soon Ford rolls out these mobile charge vehicles.
Publication Number: US20190135133A1
Patent Title: Mobile charging for electric vehicles
Publication date: 2019-05-09
Filing date: 2016-05-31
Inventors: Kenneth James Miller
Assignee: Ford Global Technologies
