Electric vehicles have many advantages over gas-powered ones, including zero carbon emissions, quick acceleration, and lower maintenance costs. However, as currently built, EVs have some disadvantages. One concern is driving range and access to charging stations. The other concern is the long charging time. The federal infrastructure bill with a new charging network may take care of the accessibility to charging stations problem. For charging time, Ford may have solved that riddle. It has a new EV charger invention with a charging time that’s as fast as a trip to a gas station.

New Ford EV charger is as quick as filling up a tank of gas

Ford has a collaborative project with researchers at Purdue University on new patent-pending charging technology, as detailed by CarBuzz. The new charging technology enables an owner of an electric vehicle to charge the battery as quickly as filling up a tank of gas. 

The new charging technology features a cooling method in which liquid acts as an active cooling agent. By using a cooling agent, the liquid transforms to vapor, which enables more heat to be extracted from the charging cable. With the new invention, Ford aims to make electric vehicles that can charge very fast but in a safe manner. 

“Today, chargers are limited in how quickly they can charge an EV’s battery due to the danger of overheating. Charging faster requires more current to travel through the charging cable. The higher the current, the greater the amount of heat that has to be removed to keep the cable operational.” 

– Michael Degner, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering’s senior technical leader 

Will EV charging stations replace gas stations?

Electric vehicles are now very popular, and many automakers plan to go all-electric in the future. Does this mean that gas-powered cars and gas stations will be a thing of the past? Also, will EV charging stations replace conventional gas stations?

Despite the prolific rise of electric vehicles, they still constitute a small percentage of overall car sales. It will be many years before there are more electric cars on the road than gas-powered ones. Likewise, it will be a long time before EV charging stations replace gas stations. Also, in all likelihood, gas stations will be converted to charging stations. 

If Ford’s new invention for a fast EV charger proves to be as effective and safe as advertised, though, it will help speed the transition from conventional gas stations to public charging stations. The new invention could also be very lucrative for Ford, as other automakers will want to adopt similar charging technology.

What Ford EV models are available now or coming soon?

Ford made a big splash into the EV segment with the all-electric Mustang Mach-E. It combines classic Mustang design cues with powerful electric motors and many advanced technologies. The next Ford EV models to be made available will be the E-Transit Van and F-150 Lightning pickup truck. The E-Transit will be released later this year, while the F-150 Lightning will arrive in spring 2022. 

With all of these new electric vehicles released and the new fast charging technology, Ford is going “all-in” on an electrified future. We’ll have to wait and see if the new charging technology proves to a practical reality, and not just an enticing research project.