Ford Files Patent for Roof-Mounted EV Spare Battery in The US

Ford is getting busy with its EV venture, as the firm has submitted yet another patent for new EV-related tech. We’ve seen the American marque registering a patent for magnet-powered automated EV charging port, but this time around it’s a huge, roof-mounted EV backup battery pack.

First spotted by a user in Ford Lightning owners’ forum, the file submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) shows a Ford Bronco-looking SUV that has a roof rack with a conventional-looking roof box on top of it. Unlike any other roof boxes, this one features a charging cable sticking out of it.

According to the patent application document, this roof box battery pack could be installed for a trip to more secluded areas where EV charging stations are scarce. And just like any mobile power bank, it can be removed and charged via the available cordset.

For temperature control, this sizable battery pack features air ducts on both sides of the housing to provide better cooling to the battery cells, while there are valves present on it to stop the batteries from external forces like water, snow, or sand from entering and potentially damaging the pack.

Aside from the air vents, the battery pack housing also includes a tray lined with polyurethane foam that helps to manage thermal energy levels within the enclosure, keeping the inside relatively cool and preventing the cells from overheating.

Interestingly, this backup battery pack is designed to include a controller module that can be engaged wirelessly to the communication module that “can communicate wirelessly with a communication module of the electrified vehicle to control the recharging of the traction battery pack from the backup battery.”

Ford Mustang Mach-E - one of Ford's current EV model that might adopt this roof-mounted battery pack

All in all, we can safely say that this roof-mounted battery pack is an interesting innovation that could solve the problem of driving an EV in secluded areas with no nearby EV charging stations on sight. However, lithium-ion batteries are notoriously known for their heavy weight, which can affect the car’s stability when driving at high speed, while putting additional strain on the roof structure.

Gentari's mobile EV charging vehicle

While roof-mounted emergency battery packs might take a few years to come into fruition, at least we’ve got some alternatives for emergency EV charging. For example, local EV charging solution provider Gentari has introduced a mobile EV charging vehicle. Aimed to rescue stranded EVs, this mobile EV charging vehicle carries a sizable 30 kW DC charger that can be used to charge up any EVs for a short while, providing them with enough juice to get going to nearest charging stations.

Future Ford models will adopt Tesla's NACS charging port (right), giving them access to Tesla's vast Supercharger network

Now, back to Ford, the automaker is quite busy in accelerating and expanding its EV venture. Prior to this patent filing, the automaker has also unveiled the plan to adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging port for future Ford EVs. Through this venture and many other EV-related patents submitted, it is safe to say that Ford is truly serious in adopting electromobility.