Amazon drones could be powering up your electric car as you drive in the years to come. Amazon has received a patent in the US that could see its drones utilised for recharging electric cars. They would fly in and help out a vehicle that has run out of charge far away from a plug-in point or even (rather like they do with planes in flight) hook up to the vehicle needing juice on the move.
You can view the full document here.
As the abstract of the patent application puts it: “Devices such as vehicles, remote sensors, and so forth consume energy during operation. Described herein are systems, devices, and methods for transferring energy from an uncrewed autonomous vehicle to a vehicle such as a car. The uncrewed autonomous vehicle may locate the vehicle at a rendezvous location, and connect with the vehicle while the vehicle moves. Once the uncrewed autonomous vehicle connects to the vehicle, the uncrewed autonomous vehicle may transfer the energy to the vehicle.”
It’s a pretty futuristic and even outlandish idea but then that is very much Amazon’s style. And it brings to mind a comment from Jeff Bezos: “We’ve had three big ideas at Amazon that we’ve stuck with. They’re the reason we’re successful: Put the customer first. Invent. And be patient.”
What is very apparent too is that Amazon really is serious about drones. They are investing heavily in the UK and US in technology centres to make delivery drones a reality. But evidently, even though this specific patent may never be utilised, they’re not just thinking about delivering physical goods but fuel too.
Although the first drone delivery has been made by Amazon, in Cambridgeshire, even years down the line since the concept was first revealed a full service has yet to take off. But it seems that can only be a matter of time. Regulators willing.
