Here's An Idea! New Patent Suggests Drone Use For Swapping EV Batteries On-The-Go

What happens when your IC engine car runs out of fuel? It is either the time to call a friend or the roadside assistance for starting your vehicle again. As of now, the situation is more or less the same with electric cars. In fact it is even more limited, with calling the roadside assistance being the only option to either tow your car to the next charging station or charging it on the spot, an idea still under the works by Hyundai, in the name of ¡®Charge Here¡¯.

A new patent is aiming to change that. The problem, the patent works on a concept that has already seen a leading player run out of business. Remember Better Place? In case not, it was an Israeli firm that went bankrupt back in 2013 despite procuring almost $1 billion in funding. All this, solely for playing on a dodgy concept of swappable batteries in electric vehicles.

Now a new patent filed by ETAK Systems proposes to build further on it, with the help of drones. Though the patent is mostly directed to help with ETAK¡¯s main line of work, i.e. cell towers, a specific scenario mentioned in the patent focuses on electric vehicles as well. For the most part, the patent talks about how drones can be used to replace failed batteries in a cell tower, a pretty viable idea considering the difficult task is performed by humans as of now. The part that kicks back, however, is the one which talks about the same operation for electric vehicles.

Representative Image (Reuters)

A clause in the patent mentions a ¡®situation¡¯ involving electric vehicles. In essence, this implies that the drones can be used to swap faulty batteries in electric cars as well. The problem? This is a failed concept to date on which not many auto-makers intend to play. i.e. for two prime reason: batteries used in electric vehicles are quite heavy and require robotic interference to remove or swap them. In addition, swappable batteries are not a very cost effective model for the companies, considering they will have to keep an inventory of batteries for the required replacements. And as we all know, batteries are practically the costliest part in an EV.

Hence, the patent filed by ETAK might not be very feasible in practicality for electric vehicles in today¡¯s date. It will be, however, interesting to see how the idea pans out in the future, with the auto-makers actually opting for swappable batteries for some EV applications. For instance, Ashok Leyland had recently announced its Circuit F electric bus which would replace its battery on the route end once it discharges. The problem, again, is that the task cannot be performed by an individual or least, a drone, on the go. But apply the same concept to EVs such as electric scooters, it might become feasible in the near future. Though limited, since there¡¯s hardly a chance that electric scooters will run out of charge (given the range), it might be possible. Then again, why would you not just push your 2-wheeler to the charging station if it is nearby.