Would Recharge Electric Cars That Could Not Get To The Next Charging Station

A patent granted to Amazon could someday lead to a drone landing on top of an electric car and transferring power to the vehicle while it is underway.

The patent drawing shows a docking station attached to the roof of a electric vehicle (EV) ... and a tree for some unknown reason. If the driver of the EV felt he or she could not make it to the next charging station, the drone would meet the car at a predetermined location, scan to be sure it's the correct vehicle, then land and plug in. The car could then proceed to the next charging location while being charged by the drone.

Amazon applied for the patent for the “Systems, devices and methods delivering energy using an uncrewed autonomous vehicle” in 2014, according to a report from the website govtech.com Whether the company actually intends to develop such a system, or the patent is mainly to prevent a competitor from doing so, is unclear at this time.

Still, we know you now have an image of a car rolling down the highway with a big drone on its roof in your head, don't you.

(U.S. Patent Office image)

FMI: Original Report