Electric Cars: Auto Giant Ford develops public charger software

US carmaker Ford, which announced has developed a new algorithm to help locate fast public chargers to make the process of charging an electric car hassle-free. The company had earlier announced an investment of $11 billion investment, in developing electric, and electrified vehicles through 2018.

“In locating these additional charging points, we’ve attempted to take into account regular driving and stopping patterns so that topping up slots into drivers regular day-to-day activities,” said John Scott, city data solutions project lead for Ford Mobility in a statement.

Its ‘Team Edison’ has been working towards developing mobile charging solutions and perhaps inductive charging, among many possibilities. The team analyzed 160 gas-powered Ford Transit vans over 625 miles and 15,000 vehicle-days of use. With more than 500 million data points about the movement of drivers, they have been able to identify ways that charging could be integrated into their routes.

Due to a growing pressure from regulators in the US, China and Europe to cut carbon emissions, carmakers are investing heavily in alternative vehicle (AV) technologies. The plug-in cars represent just under 2% of the US market, and 2.2% worldwide. Despite exponential growth, with an estimated 2 million EVs sold worldwide last year, only one in 250 cars on the road is electric.