The average electric vehicle (EV) of today can manage an all-electric range of about 400 km to 500km, which is quite alright for the average road trip. To increase your EV range temporarily, it seems that Ford has patented a roof-mounted backup battery as evident in a patent published on June 8, 2023, through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The idea is a simple one where a large backup battery pack is mounted on the roof, very much like the average roof box that we are accustomed to seeing. In the patent published, the roof-mounted backup battery is shown on what looks like the Ford Bronco with a charging cable dangling from the end of it.
One look at the patent will make you second guess its feasibility as EV batteries are generally heavy and this looks like it could upset the weight distribution of the vehicle. Having such a heavy object placed on top of the heads of passengers also seems to be quite risky. Skepticism aside, this is a patent for the time being and the battery used could be a small unit, and with battery technology improving in the future, it may weigh a lot less than current high-voltage batteries.
The abstract of the patent reads, “An electrified vehicle backup battery system includes a traction battery pack of an electrified vehicle, and a backup battery assembly that is removably mounted to the electrified vehicle. The backup battery assembly is configured to recharge the traction battery pack through a charge port of the electrified vehicle. A traction battery pack charging method includes recharging a traction battery pack of an electrified vehicle from a backup battery assembly that is mounted above the roof of the electrified vehicle”
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Yes, you read that right, the roof-mounted backup battery is also supposedly removable although this may not be something you can do with just a pair of hands. Portable EV chargers are nothing new as we have even seen concept of them in Malaysia by Gentari’s subsidiary EV Charge Go and by BMW Malaysia and EVC. It is the idea of making it a removable roof-mounted battery which is new here by Ford.
Although it may trigger questions like weight distribution and safety, do understand that this is only a patent for now and that the EV battery technology may improve in the near future, perhaps making them lighter. This concept, however, does make it possible for you to venture into off-grid areas with more assurance on having enough range. If anything, this is just like carrying extra jerry cans of fuel on a long journey, albeit with a large battery pack.
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