Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a swappable battery system that may be used in future Ford EVs, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on July 19th, 2018, published on May 14th, 2024, and assigned serial number 11981226.
The Ford Authority Take
Though it has scaled back its EV ambitions as of late, Ford remains committed to developing that type of technology moving forward as well. One of its biggest pushes relates to ways to combat limited range and slower charging times, as the automaker has filed patents for ideas such as wireless charging systems, a roof-mounted backup battery, a portable vehicle charging system, and portable battery packs, to name just a few. Now, this new patent outlines an idea that isn’t exactly new, but still may may wind up being used in future Ford EVs, regardless.
That idea is for a swappable battery system, which is something that a handful of other companies have explored as of late, too. However, the system outlined in this patent presents a new way of doing precisely that, largely because it doesn’t propose swapping out the battery pack that’s located underneath an EV. Rather, in this case, the batteries would be mounted somewhere like the frunk or rear cargo area, and users would simply pull into a battery swap station when they need a fresh unit.
From there, a mechanical arm or similar type of system would remove the old battery and replace it with a charged one, enabling users to go on about their merry way, much like the process of swapping out a propane tank. Interestingly, Ford also proposes the concept of delivering new battery packs via unmanned aerial vehicles, too. In either case, it’s clear that The Blue Oval is leaving no stone unturned in its quest to eliminate the downsides that EVs present compared to ICE vehicles, no matter how it ultimately chooses to tackle them.
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Comments
I’ll repeat what I said years ago. Have 2 batteries. One is large and does not swap out. The second is smaller and, therefore, more easy to swap when you don’t have the time to wait for a charge. You could take the idea a step further and break the swapable battery into several smaller batteries in an array so that you can literally pull 1, 2, 3, 4 etc batteries and swap them out. Small enough that an average human can lift and replace without additional equipment.
Or you can just offer a hybrid power train and not worry about swapping batteries.
That’s a better option. But if you must insist on BEVs….
I have a set of LFP batteries that weigh 70 pounds but can be lifted by one person (myself). But the battery only holds 3 kWh. If you want to swap batteries for an electric vehicle with a 300 mile range and a 3 mile per kWh efficiency, you need at least 33 batteries and at 50 pounds each!
Can ford fly out a 10 speed trans for my f150.