Future Ford EVs Could Get Real-Time Charging Point Availability Information

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a real-time charging point availability system that may be used in future Ford EVs, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on January 5^th, 2023, published on July 11^th, 2024, and assigned serial number 02333394.

The Ford Authority Take

Modern day EVs pretty much all have some sort of charger navigation guidance built-in from the factory, which – in most cases – do a nice job of laying out charging stops along a particular route. This is critical to the future success of EVs, as one might imagine, which is also why Ford continues to file patents with ideas on how to improve this type of technology moving forward. As of late, that has included patents for ideas such as a more advanced type of EV charger guidance system, a system designed to coach EV owners on charging habits, and privacy preserving charging reports.

Now, this newly published patent adds another new idea to that list – this time, for a real-time charging point availability system that may be used in future Ford EVs, too. The goal here, as one might imagine, is to make that process smoother and more accurate, as waiting for an EV to charge is already somewhat inconvenient – meaning that no one wants to also have to wait for a charger to become available at busy station, either.

Thus, this proposed system wouldn’t just rely on data taken from chargers to determine availability, but also, images to determine if there are any available chargers, after which it would relay that information to users in real-time. The system would also be able to predict how long those chargers will remain in use, giving EV owners a more accurate estimate as well. In some areas, where EV adoption is higher, such technology could be a boon to owners, many of whom have found themselves waiting for a charge on several occasions.

We’ll have more on this and all Ford patents soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford patent news, Ford business news, and around-the-clock Ford news coverage.