Charging e-cars automatically: Ford makes it possible
In order to supply the electric car with electricity again, owners have had to take action themselves. But that doesn’t have to be the case anymore, Ford thinks. The car manufacturer, together with the University of Dortmund, has developed a small robot that automatically takes over the charging process. Volkswagen is also working on such a technology.
Ford: E-car charges itself automatically
Charging an e-car is not a major hurdle for people without physical disabilities. Simply get out of the car, insert the plug and the battery recharges. With physical limitations, however, this task can quickly become tedious – if not impossible. Together with the Technical University of Dortmund, Ford has now introduced a robotwhich charges the e-car without the owner having to do anything.
With Ford’s solution, drivers can sit back and relax as soon as they arrive at the robot charging station. Of the The robot’s loading arm has cameras and automatically finds the connection to the car after it has driven out of the charging station (source: ford). After charging, the robot automatically withdraws. Drivers do not have to get out of their e-car at any time.
Ford and the TU Dortmund can imagine the technology in parking lots, in multi-storey car parks or in private homes to install. Even larger company fleets could be supplied with electricity again without human intervention. If the charging cables should become significantly heavier in the future due to significantly greater power, then the robot could also be used across the board.
How the Ford charging robot works:
Charging e-cars automatically: VW is also working on it
Not only Ford is developing charging robots, but also VW and the start-up Volterio, which belongs to Continental, want to make the charging process for e-cars even more convenient. Volkswagen is testing a concept in which the robot a mobile energy store just bring it to the e-car. The robot could be called to the vehicle via an app. However, the technology is not yet ready for series production – just like at Ford.
