FORD

Brand moves forward into the future by already testing robotic charging station to serve people with disabilities

Ford has started testing an electric vehicle charging station equipped with a robotic arm that automatically connects a cable to a car's connector. The invention will be useful for people with disabilities.

The robotic charging station was built by engineers from the University of Dortmund (Germany) and, after successful laboratory tests, Ford began testing the system in practice. Arriving at the charging station, the driver activates it via a mobile app, and the robot takes care of the rest. In the electric car, the door cover opens and a handler comes out of the station, which, using the camera, detects the car door, connects the cable to it and starts the charging process.

The owner of an electric car can control the entire process by cell phone, staying in the car or leaving it. When the battery is fully charged, the manipulator disconnects the cable and hides with it behind the station cover. Ford will join forces with charging infrastructure developer Ionity, which has decided to take it a step further and build automated parking lots where car enthusiasts can check in their electric vehicles and fully charge them over time. Robotic loading will also be useful for transport companies.

Image source: media.ford.com