Normal Motors is taking a look at other ways to make the most of electric-vehicle bidirectional charging functionality and a number of cost ports, a newly surfaced patent submitting reveals.
Printed by america Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) Dec. 26, 2024, after being submitting by GM Jun. 22, 2023, the doc offers much less with particular {hardware} and extra with utilization schemes and management methods—and find out how to stability present out and in of various cost ports.
What it might result in is a better flexibility for charging or discharging EVs at any given time, as vitality storage gadgets.
GM lays out just a few examples of how this functionality may be mixed with a number of cost ports, together with utilizing one port to cost an EV whereas utilizing the second port to ship energy to an exterior energy-storage system.
Normal Motors multi-port bidirectional charging patent picture
One other risk is “daisy-chained” automobiles, with just one car really plugged into a traditional charging station. That car would then be related to a second car through its different cost port. That second car might in flip be used to cost a 3rd car in an analogous method, in accordance with GM.
This can require a brand new era of cost controllers, the patent underscores, and a brand new vary of fascinated with how folks will use bidirectional charging functionality. A fleet of suitable automobiles can be required as properly.
GM has expanded bidirectional charging throughout its lineup, however solely with one cost port as of but. It is already laid out what giant electrical vans would possibly have the ability to do with a number of cost ports in a separate patent submitting, although.
Normal Motors multi-port bidirectional charging patent picture
Ford has additionally, in a patent, beforehand laid out what a number of cost ports would possibly accomplish. That features connecting a number of EVs in collection, much like what GM is discussing right here.
Different automakers, akin to Tesla, have additionally mentioned including bidirectional charging functionality, whereas Volvo has shifted that functionality right into a separate vitality enterprise. Nevertheless it would possibly take mandates like the one proposed by California to additional scale up bidirectional charging—and unlock among the potentialities GM apparently sees within the tech.
