THE PATENTS LOOKING TO ELECTRIFY THE FUTURE OF EV TECHNOLOGY
BY SARAH PERKINS
In recent years, the automotive industry has witnessed a transition driven by the increasingly rapid evolution and adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). As roads become more and more electrically charged, so, too, do automotive inventions. This surge in technological advancements has led to an array of patents and designs, from cutting-edge battery technologies to novel charging solutions and beyond. Read on to see some recently patented ideas born for the future.
BATTERY THAT CAN BOOGIE
EV charging times remain a stressor for many manufacturers and drivers. Luckily, Ford has a patent that aims to address these concerns by seeking to develop a swappable battery system in electric and hybrid vehicles to eliminate range anxieties.
Published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in May, and originally filed by Ford in 2018, the patent describes how vehicles could include “a propulsion system and another power source powering the propulsion system, and [would] further include a controller configured to enable unloading the first battery to a first charging station by propulsion of the vehicle towards and then away from the first charging station.”
Specifically, the technology describes electric and hybrid vehicles configured with batteries that could be individually disconnected and swapped with a fully charged alternative. In this way, rather than having a driver sit with their vehicle at a charging station, Ford proposes drivers keep a running lineup of fully charged batteries, swapping them out the way one would put new AA batteries in their toy race car.
DRIVE-IN DRIVETRAINS
Ford is also aiming to make EVs more entertaining for the public. For fans of both electric vehicles and drive-in movie theatres, Ford has filed a patent application that would turn the F-150 Lightning’s “front trunk,” or “frunk” into a retractable projector screen.
Here, the patent—originally published on April 24, 2024—specifically details a large screen that would be extendable from a case mounted toward the back of the frunk. When the frunk opened, the screen would rise out of a slot in the housing when summoned.
Unlike Ford’s battery-swapping patent’s goal of increased practicality, for the built-in frunk theatre, the automaker suggests that in this case, the feature would be ideal for entertainment when tailgating or camping.
A SHAKING SOLUTION
Another concern for both manufacturers and consumers surrounding electric vehicles—how they will perform in colder climates. For Chinese electric vehicle automaker Nio, one possible tech solution is giving vehicles the ability to shake off snow by themselves.
At the beginning of 2024, Nio demonstrated an early version of the technology by showcasing the ET9 electric sedan’s ability to perform a full body shake to clear large chunks of snow off of the windshield, roof and rear window, all within a matter of seconds. As described by the automaker, this maneuver is part of the vehicle’s intelligent chassis system known as Sky Ride. This system integrates steer-by-wire, rear wheel steering and a fully active suspension system.
While it won’t protect the electric vehicle against decreased charge capacity due to cold weather, it is a more entertaining and hands-free take on the classic snow brush.
ANOTHER CONCERN FOR BOTH MANUFACTURERS AND CONSUMERS SURROUNDING ELECTRIC VEHICLES—HOW THEY WILL PERFORM IN COLDER CLIMATES. FOR CHINESE ELECTRIC VEHICLE AUTOMAKER NIO, ONE POSSIBLE TECH SOLUTION IS GIVING VEHICLES THE ABILITY TO SHAKE OFF SNOW BY THEMSELVES.
INCORPORATING INCONVENIENCE
While some automakers look to patent technology to advance EV performance, others look to ensure that future electric vehicles still maintain a familiar car feel.
For Toyota, this means incorporating inconvenience in the form of electric vehicles that still stall just like their internal combustion engine counterparts. Toyota has long-since declared its desire to simulate a manual transmission in its fully electric vehicles with a shifter and clutch pedal. The reason for the design is to combat what Toyota feels would be “a sense of discomfort to the driver who knows the driving sensation of the manual transmission vehicle.” If a driver were to drop below an “idle speed,” the electric vehicle’s inverter would instantly set the electric motor’s torque to zero, simulating a stalling sensation with the vehicle receiving no more tractive power.
This feature would also be able to be shut off in favour of regular EV driving if desired.
SOUND SPECTACLES
Just as Toyota hopes to give electric vehicles a familiar driving experience, Ferrari hopes to give them a familiar sound in a patent application for a sound transmission device axle that would feed sound directly into the vehicle cabin.
Described as an “acoustic conduit” meant to act without speakers and be strictly pneumatic, the patent technology would see sound boxes added to Ferrari’s electric vehicle design that would help amplify or reduce the volume to an acceptable level before the sound reached inside the cabin. Another solution that Ferrari has proposed to combat what it sees as the “almost inaudible” sound of EVs, is to equip electric vehicles with a variety of “aerophone instruments” arranged facing toward the direction of travel.
Acting as a kind of “pipe organ under the vehicle,” the design would ensure that air would travel through piping, or “actuation valves” when the car is in motion. Doing this would create air flow through, causing the tubes to vibrate and produce a unique humming sound. These tubes would vary in length and diameter with each dimensional adjustment creating a variation in tone while driving.
In this way, even with the required changes in EV manufacturing, for Ferrari, this patent design would allow the automaker to retain traditional grilles and maintain a familiar image in the wake of ongoing technological change.
