Picture this: An electric car becomes too critically low in charge to reach its destination, so it contacts an automated dispatch center. Some time later, a little battery-carrying drone meets up with the car en route, connecting with a roof-mounted interface on the vehicle, providing extra charge to the vehicle and allowing it to complete its trip without a hitch.
The idea, in a patent approval posted earlier this month and found by Greentech Media, might have not been taken all that seriously had there not been a big name attached to it: Amazon. While a drone might not be able to carry its own weight plus the weight of an extra battery very far before this scenario simply isn’t viable, Amazon has a track record of making such moonshots—like its supply-chain and delivery logistics—workable.
The patent notes that traditional fuels could also be delivered via the “uncrewed autonomous vehicle,” although some states might take issue with unmanned delivery and flight of gasoline or diesel.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) has come up with a much more pragmatic approach to giving overoptimistic electric-vehicle drivers a little more juice: putting DC fast chargers on specially equipped roadside-rescue trucks. But demand for that service has been surprisingly low, as EV drivers generally don’t take risks with their available range the way that gasoline-vehicle owners might in stretching fill-ups. With possibilities like dynamic wireless charging enabled by embedded equipment in the pavement—and a much broader fast-charging network thanks to VW’s Electrify America restitution-related program—there are plenty of possible recharging solutions in the pipeline for long-haul trips.
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