And if in a gasoline car this is a nuisance that does not last long, then in an electric car with charging, the vehicle can become an odyssey. Public chargers often break down or malfunction, and many of them have custom sizes or parking space layouts. This city has less.
In addition, the charging cables themselves can be heavy and awkward to use or handle. All of these disadvantages are exacerbated for older or disabled drivers, many of whom cannot connect to an electric vehicle.
To help fix this, Ford begins testing new robotic charging station which can be controlled from inside the car.
The driver pulls up to a designated station and initiates the charging process using the FordPass mobile app. The car’s cargo door opens and the robotic arm exits the station and connects accurately to the car using a small positioning camera.
Ford’s video also shows a different version of the robot descending from the top of a car park to connect. When finished, the arm is retracted into the charging station.
Ford says that the charging robot has passed the initial stage of laboratory testing and is now being tested in real conditions. and that the unit can be used in disabled parking spaces, private homes or car parks.
In addition to being benefit for disabled driversthis new robotic technology could make it easier to charge large corporate fleets and can also charge vehicles with more power and in less time than traditional chargers.
Ford envisions that this process could be fully automated in the future. sending the car to the charging station and charging themselves.
The robot was developed in collaboration with the University of Dortmund in Germany, and Ford said the research project will continue to work with the Ionity charging network to further improve the system.
Source: Computer Hoy
