A recent patent filing by Ford explores the use of bidirectional charging and an adapter to enable multiple vehicles to be charged from a single power source. The patent application, published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), outlines a system where a first vehicle is plugged into a charging station conventionally, and adapters connect other vehicles’ charge ports to the same charging cable.
The adapter contains a coupling and microcontroller that allow a vehicle with bidirectional charging capability to discharge power from its charge port to another vehicle through the connected cable. While Ford’s patent filing doesn’t specifically mention fleet applications, this kind of system could be particularly useful for corporate fleets where multiple electric vehicles are parked together, sharing a single charging station. However, like many patent filings, there’s no guarantee that this technology will actually make it into production.
