Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for charger reservation capability that may be used in future Ford EVs, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on March 3rd, 2023, published on September 5th, 2024, and assigned serial number 0295407.
The Ford Authority Take
Ford has filed a large number of patents in recent months outlining ways that it may attempt to improve the EV charging experience in the future, including ideas for a system capable of relaying real-time third party charger info, another designed to influence electrified vehicle charging decisions, and a real-time charging point availability system, to name just a few. Now, this newly published patent keeps that trend going by presenting us with an idea for a charger reservation capability system that may be used in future Ford EVs, too.
As Ford points out in this patent filing, charging infrastructure is currently a bit lacking, and in certain parts of the country where EV ownership is higher than others, that can pose a big problem. Owners may struggle to find an available charger in those areas as a result, which is a huge inconvenience and could even possibly leave them stranded somewhere, in need of a charge, in extreme circumstances.
Thus, this patent aims to rectify that problem by giving future Ford EVs a system enabling users to reserve chargers ahead of time, which is an idea that some other entities have already explored in various ways. This would be most useful in the event that a user plans on taking a longer road trip, during which they can already plan charging stops along the way – and if this idea comes to fruition, EV owners could instead reserve chargers at those stops ahead of time, eliminating the possibility that they’ll have to wait for one to come open or search for another charging station.
Comments
Um. No. If a spot is empty when I arrive, I’m taking it, not being told I can’t use it because it’s reserved.
Sure. I can see that working without any snafus. Uh huh. I also think it’s hysterical that the F-150 EV is the sponsor of Fox’s Sunday football pregame show. They just won’t admit that no one wants an EV.