Green Car Reports discovered an intriguing patent from Ford for a wireless electric vehicle charging system that the company filed in 2022, and has recently been uncovered.
Ford's patent named 'Roadway Charging Coil Alignment and Monitoring' deals with inductive charging for electric vehicles. Ford's patent is dissimilar to most systems we have seen before, as it relates to charging moving electric vehicles using charging coils planted in the surface of the road.
Similar to adjusting your wireless phone charger to find the correct position, the driver must correctly align the electric vehicle's batteries with the charging components beneath it. To address this issue, Ford's patent proposes the usage of ground penetrating radar and a set of sensors that can help with the proper alignment of the charging components.
It is worth noting that Ford is not the first company to explore wireless charging. Genesis plans to create a wireless charging solution and has tested a prototype charging system on its widely used GV60 EV. Other manufacturers have claimed to have tested the technology, and a few years ago an Israeli company tested commercial trucks on a wireless charging road.
Certain companies, including major automakers, believe that dynamic wireless charging could lead to smaller batteries that use fewer raw materials. Meanwhile, businesses and government organizations are striving to develop new charging solutions and push for more charging locations, as the proliferation of EVs has so far outpaced the infrastructure to support them.
Source: Green Car Reports
