A latest Ford patent submitting hints that the automaker is investigating methods of charging EVs whereas driving.
Revealed by the US Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) on July 20, 2023, and initially filed Jan. 20, 2022, the patent software in query is titled “Roadway Charging Coil Alignment and Monitoring” and offers with wi-fi inductive charging for shifting automobiles—also referred to as dynamic wi-fi charging.
Ford in-road wi-fi EV charging patent picture
Whereas adoption has been gradual, wi-fi/inductive charging programs for stationary use are usually not new. In 2020, SAE Worldwide, previously the Society of Automotive Engineers, introduced the first international requirements for EV wi-fi charging at as much as 11 kw. This methodology of charging makes use of coils mounted in a transmitter (linked to a supply of electrical energy) which sends energy to a receiver mounted on the automobile.
On this patent submitting, although, Ford discusses embedding inductive charging coils in a street floor, permitting automobiles to cost wirelessly as they drive alongside. To do that, a automobile’s receiver could be aligned with a line of coils, which might require the motive force to observe a exact path, probably aided by cameras or different sensors.
Ford in-road wi-fi EV charging patent picture
Counting on steering motion nonetheless leaves room for misalignment of the automobile and in-road charging coils, which reduces charging effectivity, based on Ford. The automaker’s proposed answer is to equip automobiles with floor penetrating radar to dwelling in on the coils. Radar knowledge would then be fed right into a management system that will mechanically alter steering to exactly align the in-road coils with the automobile’s receiver.
Ford in-road wi-fi EV charging patent picture
A patent software will not be proof of real-world plans, however in-motion wi-fi charging has been examined earlier than. In 2017, Renault and Qualcomm (which subsequently bought its wi-fi charging patents to WiTricity) claimed to have charged a automobile at 60 mph on a check observe. In 2020, wireless-charging {hardware} from Israeli agency Electreon was used to cost shifting vehicles on a brief stretch of Swedish street. Toyota believes dynamic wi-fi charging may even allow smaller batteries in future EVs.
