Ford Files Patent For Roof-Mounted EV Backup Battery

Ford, the maker of the all-electric F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, and E-Transit, has filed for a rather interesting patent for a huge, roof-mounted backup battery that could top-up the main high-voltage pack of an EV when driving through an area where there aren’t any chargers available.

First spotted by RDale on the Lightning Owners forum, the document submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) shows a Bronco-like SUV that has a roof rack on top of which sits something resembling a conventional roof box. However, a charging cable sticks out of the back of the box, making it look more or less like a backup battery one would use to recharge a smartphone.

The patent application says that the backup battery could be installed when preparing for a trip where charger availability is scarce and uninstalled after returning home, where the owner presumably has an EV charger installed to top-up the main high-voltage pack.

Ford, the maker of the all-electric F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, and E-Transit, has filed for a rather interesting patent for a huge, roof-mounted backup battery that could top-up the main high-voltage pack of an EV when driving through an area where there aren’t any chargers available.

First spotted by RDale on the Lightning Owners forum, the document submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) shows a Bronco-like SUV that has a roof rack on top of which sits something resembling a conventional roof box. However, a charging cable sticks out of the back of the box, making it look more or less like a backup battery one would use to recharge a smartphone.

The patent application says that the backup battery could be installed when preparing for a trip where charger availability is scarce and uninstalled after returning home, where the owner presumably has an EV charger installed to top-up the main high-voltage pack.