Blue Oval patents a new roof-mounted portable back-up battery to provide rural EV owners with a safety net
Range anxiety is one of the biggest hurdles to the uptake of electric vehicles globally, and so Ford has taken it upon itself to cater to those especially worried about having enough EV juice.
Similar to the portable power packs used for charging devices or jump-starting cars on the fly, the Blue Oval has designed and is attempting to patent what it calls an ‘electrified vehicle roof-mounted backup battery’ – essentially an oversized power pack for your EV.
Revealed in a US patent filing uncovered by the Lightning Owners forum, the detachable roof-top back-up battery is aimed at prospective EV owners who plan on travelling to areas without an abundance of public charging stations and largely negates the need to seek one out.
It’s not made clear in the abstract or patent description if the powerpack can be connected on the fly, but it is stipulated the pack’s role is to recharge the ‘traction battery’ (the EV’s in-built drive battery) when plugged in, as opposed to providing power directly to the wheels.
The figures submitted with the application show the back-up battery mounted to the roof racks of a Ford Bronco – electric Bronco anyone? – and connected to the vehicle via a traditional charging cable.
Ford says the portable pack is air-cooled and as such its outer casing has a series of inlets and vents to allow fresh air in to cool the various modules within.
There’s no indication yet as to how heavy such a product would be, but we’d wager it would come close to flirting with the dynamic load limit for both the roof and roof racks, depending on the model, let alone what effect its mass will have on handling.
Being fixed to the roof racks means installation and removal of the back-up battery should be relatively straight forward depending on its weight, but it’s not known exactly how much extra charge or range such a device could provide to a compatible vehicle.
Just like a standard portable charger, Ford’s new back-up battery is rechargeable via a traditional wall socket and fitment to a plug-in hybrid vehicle is also possible for those who don’t want to use their internal combustion engine until absolutely necessary.
At this stage the concept is only being patented in the US, but there’s no reason why the roof-top power pack couldn’t be made available in other markets as Ford ramps up its global electrification efforts – provided it reaches commercialisation.
For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales’ Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast
Join the conversation at our Facebook page Or email us at [email protected]
Keyword: Ford goes to ridiculous new heights to relieve EV range anxiety