A latest Ford patent submitting hints that the automaker is investigating methods of charging EVs whereas driving.

Revealed by the USA Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) on July 20, 2023, and initially filed Jan. 20, 2022, the patent utility in query is titled “Roadway Charging Coil Alignment and Monitoring” and offers with wi-fi inductive charging for shifting automobiles—often known 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 will not be 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 technique 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 car.

On this patent submitting, although, Ford discusses embedding inductive charging coils in a highway floor, permitting automobiles to cost wirelessly as they drive alongside. To do that, a car’s receiver can be aligned with a line of coils, which might require the motive force to observe a exact path, doubtlessly 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 automotive and in-road charging coils, which reduces charging effectivity, in line with Ford. The automaker’s proposed resolution is to equip automobiles with floor penetrating radar to residence in on the coils. Radar information would then be fed right into a management system that might robotically regulate steering to exactly align the in-road coils with the car’s receiver.

Ford in-road wi-fi EV charging patent picture

A patent utility just isn’t 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 automotive 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 highway. Toyota believes dynamic wi-fi charging might even allow smaller batteries in future EVs.