[ChasingCoral]

https://fordauthority.com/2022/02/ford-patents-portable-battery-packs-for-evs-electronic-devices/

FORD PATENTS PORTABLE BATTERY PACKS FOR EVS, ELECTRONIC DEVICES
By Brett Foote
February 9, 2022 9:29 am

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for portable battery packs for EVs and other electronic devices with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on July 28th, 2020, and published on February 3rd, 2022.

The Ford Authority Take
Back in October of 2020, Ford filed a patent for a removable, range-extending generator that would theoretically sit in the bed of a pickup like a toolbox. It contained an engine, fuel tank, exhaust system, and electronics in one package, which would presumably kick in when an EV pickup – such as the Ford F-150 Lightning – is facing a low state of charge in its main battery pack.

This new patent provides a different way to tackle range anxiety, using a portable battery pack that would reside in the F-150 Lighting’s (or any other EV’s) frunk and could be used as a secondary battery pack(s) or range extender for the EV itself, or be utilized as a way to charge other vehicles or electronic devices. According to the patent, a vehicle utilizing these battery packs could also be moved autonomously using a “Following Mode” to follow the operator of another electronic device or EV.

From the patent images provided, we can see that the portable battery packs would essentially extend through the grille of the vehicle, almost like the giant battery banks that people already use to charge things like smartphones and laptops. This sort of technology would complement the existing vehicle-to-vehicle charging capability present in the Ford F-150 PowerBoost and F-150 Lightning with a more portable option that could go a long way in addressing concerns over range anxiety, if it ever comes to fruition.

We’ll have more on this and all of Ford’s trademark and patent filings soon, so be sure and subscribeto Ford Authority for the latest Ford trademark news, Ford business news, Ford F-Series news, Ford F-150 news, F-150 Lightning news, and non-stop Ford news coverage.

 

[larry.thompson]

Interesting but I see some challenges to this.
1. Weight - I figure you need 10KWH battery pack to make any kind of difference in terms of driving range. The Tesla Powerwall is 14kwh @ 269lbs. So your probably looking at 200lbs easily. You are not moving that in and out of the frunk easily.
2. Space - If your going to load up the frunk with batteries, you lose the benefit of having it, which is a huge selling feature for the Lightning. Why not just make a bigger battery pack and keep the frunk?
3. Accident / Crumple Zone. If the battery pack extends through the grill, what does that mean for accidents, pedestrian safety, crumple zone?

I remember hearing Ford was working on battery packs that were either towable, or could be added to your existing trailer. Long range towing is the biggest drawback to EV trucks, so this sounds more promising than loading up your frunk with an oversized Jackery.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Interesting but I see some challenges to this.
1. Weight - I figure you need 10KWH battery pack to make any kind of difference in terms of driving range. The Tesla Powerwall is 14kwh @ 269lbs. So your probably looking at 200lbs easily. You are not moving that in and out of the frunk easily.
2. Space - If your going to load up the frunk with batteries, you lose the benefit of having it, which is a huge selling feature for the Lightning. Why not just make a bigger battery pack and keep the frunk?
3. Accident / Crumple Zone. If the battery pack extends through the grill, what does that mean for accidents, pedestrian safety, crumple zone?

I remember hearing Ford was working on battery packs that were either towable, or could be added to your existing trailer. Long range towing is the biggest drawback to EV trucks, so this sounds more promising than loading up your frunk with an oversized Jackery.

Agreed. Interesting idea but I see lots of problems as well.

 

[fhteagle]

I am not a patent attorney, but I strongly doubt this would be / could be patentable. There's prior art all over the place using removable battery packs in vehicles for these and other purposes going back decades. If USPTO does grant this I would consider it a giant mistake on their part.

 

[Wiseguy]

This patent paired with a solar tonneau cover would work wonders, you wouldn’t need a huge battery since it pulls from the solar panels to charge its storage battery and also provide natural backup. WorkSport has been working on a tonneau cover that’s still in R&D that rumors have been it would cost around $1,800

 

[ChasingCoral]

This patent paired with a solar tonneau cover would work wonders, you wouldn’t need a huge battery since it pulls from the solar panels to charge its storage battery and also provide natural backup. WorkSport has been working on a tonneau cover that’s still in R&D that rumors have been it would cost around $1,800

Before you get too excited about tonneau charging, measure the area of the tonneau and figure out how many watts of panels you can get up there. Then remember that to charge EV batteries you have to reach 400v.

 

[Wiseguy]

I could be mistaken but I believe the tonneau cover was set at 120v only a few amps and linked up to the internal charger for the larger 400v charger like the slow mobile power cord as they could only get about 750 watts out of the 3x solar panels that make up the cover. It would be like charging with peanuts and definitely not a primary means to charge the truck but more helpful to alleviate charging anxiety to use solar to get a few miles to the closest charging station. This patent at least makes it looks like they are trying to get new technology, I wasn’t expecting anything for a few more years

 

[ChasingCoral]

I could be mistaken but I believe the tonneau cover was set at 120v only a few amps and linked up to the internal charger for the larger 400v charger like the slow mobile power cord as they could only get about 750 watts out of the 3x solar panels that make up the cover. It would be like charging with peanuts and definitely not a primary means to charge the truck but more helpful to alleviate charging anxiety to use solar to get a few miles to the closest charging station. This patent at least makes it looks like they are trying to get new technology, I wasn’t expecting anything for a few more years

Good point. It’s still not much real estate relative to a 130 kWh pack.

 

[btreece]

Check out the Sonos solar vehicle and see what they estimate as the added charge per year added by solar. It is free miles, just not a whole lot of them. They covered the entire car with small panels.
Better bring one of these: The Best Portable Power Stations 2023 Review

 

[ChasingCoral]

Check out the Sonos solar vehicle and see what they estimate as the added charge per year added by solar. It is free miles, just not a whole lot of them. They covered the entire car with small panels.

Yes, same with the Aptera. Very light, very aerodynamic, very efficient, small battery. The Lightning is none of those.

I'm a big fan of solar and what it can do. However, in some cases it just isn't worth the cost. I think extending the range of a Lightning is one of those.