Photo: Ford
Range anxiety is one of the main reasons people postpone buying an electric vehicle. Although people who use an EV as their daily driver confirm this is a non-issue, it looks like Ford is seriously concerned. After patenting a range extender for the F-150 Lightning, they revealed another one, this time taking the path of an external power bank.
Ford has made some big steps toward electrification and is one of the few traditional carmakers that are best positioned to hold a candle to Tesla. The Mustang Mach-E is selling great, and the F-150 Lightning’s only problem is Ford cannot keep up with the high demand. And yet, Ford keeps a door open into the past, afraid to let go of the lifebuoy that they think is keeping them afloat.
We’ve already marveled at the clip-on range extender Ford patented more than a year ago. That one could’ve been installed in the bed of a pickup truck, more like a toolbox. We reckon Ford did not take the laughs lightly back then, so they followed with a different solution. This time, the range extender is more like a power bank that sits in the frunk.
The new patent was filed in July 2020, but only published a week ago, when it was discovered by Ford Authority. According to the USPTO filing, this portable power bank can be used as a secondary battery pack or as a range extender. It can also serve as a way to charge other vehicles or power electronic devices. A novel thing is that the EV equipped with these batteries could move autonomously using a “Following Mode” to follow the operator of another electronic device or EV.
This technology would complement the vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability of an F-150 Lightning electric truck. Of course, it would also eliminate the range anxiety, if it ever was an issue. Not sure if anyone would pay for such a contraption, but I must say the part with the “Following Mode” for the tools one carries got my attention.
We’ve already marveled at the clip-on range extender Ford patented more than a year ago. That one could’ve been installed in the bed of a pickup truck, more like a toolbox. We reckon Ford did not take the laughs lightly back then, so they followed with a different solution. This time, the range extender is more like a power bank that sits in the frunk.
The new patent was filed in July 2020, but only published a week ago, when it was discovered by Ford Authority. According to the USPTO filing, this portable power bank can be used as a secondary battery pack or as a range extender. It can also serve as a way to charge other vehicles or power electronic devices. A novel thing is that the EV equipped with these batteries could move autonomously using a “Following Mode” to follow the operator of another electronic device or EV.
This technology would complement the vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability of an F-150 Lightning electric truck. Of course, it would also eliminate the range anxiety, if it ever was an issue. Not sure if anyone would pay for such a contraption, but I must say the part with the “Following Mode” for the tools one carries got my attention.
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