Ferrari recently published a new patent with the European Patent Office that describes a new kind of charging port for electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles. The port is magnetic and can be disconnected from inside the vehicle, enhancing safety when charging in remote areas.
Ferrari’s Charging Port Breakthrough
BMW recently filed a patent for a magnetic connector that uses an electrical current to induce a magnetic field between the connector and the plug. This pulls the connector into the socket and holds it securely without requiring a friction fit, reducing wear and effort, and enhancing convenience. It works much like the magnetic charging connectors on some phones and laptops. But Ferrari’s patent is unique in that it includes a switch operated from inside the vehicle to release the port.
Quick-Release Port From Inside The Cabin
Typically, you connect the charging cable and then get into your vehicle and wait inside while it’s charging. However, a problem presents itself if there is a potentially dangerous situation, such as the presence of criminal elements at a remote charging location. An EV’s motors are disabled and won’t supply torque to the wheels while it is plugged in, so you have to get out of the vehicle and unplug it if you need to leave in a hurry, which increases the danger.
Ferrari’s charging port has an internal control to eject the charging cable by switching off the magnetic field, so the cable can be disconnected from inside a locked vehicle without having to get out. This will restore power to the wheels and the driver can simply drive off without having to get out to unplug.
Obvious Advantages
This holds the obvious advantage of increasing the occupants’ safety and allowing them to escape a potentially dangerous situation without having to leave the car. This is perhaps an even more pressing need in the case of an expensive sports car, which may be a more attractive target to criminals. Your Ferrari might soon give you a useful new option to escape a potentially sticky situation with its new cabin-release charging port.
