American automaker Ford has begun testing robotic charging for electric vehicles, primarily aimed at drivers with disabilities. In a normal situation, it is not difficult for a driver to connect the cable of the station to the charging port of an electric vehicle, so no such device has yet reached the stage of commercial use.
Yes, such devices are convenient, but their design is complicated, and the cost is too high to implement them everywhere. It is a completely different matter when it comes to aged or disabled drivers, who sometimes physically cannot carry out such an operation on their own. At fuel stations, staff can always help to insert a gun into the tank, but electric chargers usually do without attendants. And the more electric vehicles appear on the roads, the more often this situation will arise.
Well
UI/UX Design for the evening
Discover the profession of a UI / UX designer in 5 months, learn at a free hour
REGISTER!
From the video, it is clear that the charging process is started using a smartphone, so the driver just needs to park in the immediate vicinity of the robotic charging and press a couple of buttons on the touch screen of the phone without leaving the passenger compartment. Next, the robotic arm with camera eyes will independently find the charging port and connect to it. After charging is completed, it will automatically disconnect and retract into the station body.
Also, do not forget that automated charging is very useful for autonomous electric vehicles – such a car can literally be sent to recharge while the owner is having lunch or shopping.
Source: Electric
