How Electric Cars Pre-Cool Batteries Before Fast Charging
This patent describes an electric vehicle system that automatically cools its main battery to an ideal temperature while driving to a charging station, making charging faster and more efficient.
Original patent title: “Method and system of predicting recharging of battery of vehicle at charging station and correspondent pre-cooling of the battery using cold storage as the vehicle is being driven to the charging station”
This patent describes an electric vehicle system that automatically cools its main battery to an ideal temperature while driving to a charging station, making charging faster and more efficient. Granted to Ford Global Technologies in 2021 with 20 claims and 1 forward citation, and it is expected to expire in 2039.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent details a system for electric vehicles to prepare their batteries for charging. A controller in the vehicle automatically detects when the car is heading to a charging station, specifically when the battery's charge is below a certain level (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1). As the car drives, the controller activates the battery cooling system. This system uses a special material called a phase change material (PCM) that surrounds part of the battery (Claim 5). Refrigerant coolant circulates to cool this PCM, which in turn cools the battery to a specific target temperature by the time the vehicle arrives at the charging station (Claim 1, 5). For example, if you set your navigation to a fast charger and your battery is low, the car starts cooling the battery on the highway so it's ready for optimal charging when you plug in.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover pre-cooling systems that activate only after the vehicle arrives at the charging station.
- Does not cover systems that pre-cool the battery when its state of charge is above a predefined threshold (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1).
- Does not cover battery pre-cooling without the use of a phase change material (PCM) as a cold storage component (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 5, 8).
- Does not cover systems where the cooling rate is not adjusted based on factors like the battery's discharge rate, distance to the station, and the charging station's expected rate (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 4, 6).
- Does not cover pre-cooling methods that do not involve circulating a refrigerant coolant to the phase change material (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 5, 8).
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The noveltynoveltyThe requirement that an invention be different from anything publicly known before its priority date.Read more → lies in the system's ability to intelligently predict and proactively pre-cool the battery *during* the drive to a charging station, using a phase change material for efficient cold storage, rather than waiting until the vehicle is parked and plugged in.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Ford F-150 Lightning
Ford Mustang Mach-E
Tesla Supercharger preconditioning
Hyundai Ioniq 5 battery preconditioning
Kia EV6 battery preconditioning
Most modern electric vehicles with advanced thermal management
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Electric vehicle batteries perform best and charge fastest within a specific temperature range. If a battery is too hot or too cold, charging can be slower and less efficient, and it can even degrade the battery over time. This technology aims to optimize the charging process by ensuring the battery is at its ideal temperature upon arrival, which is crucial for improving the user experience and extending battery life in modern EVs.
Filed
June 28, 2019
Granted
June 22, 2021
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Ford Global Technologies, the assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →, continues to develop and integrate advanced thermal management systems into its electric vehicle lineup, such as the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E. Other major automotive manufacturers like Tesla, Hyundai, and Kia also implement similar battery preconditioning strategies to optimize charging performance for their respective EV models.
Market impact
This patent contributes to the ongoing effort to improve the electric vehicle charging experience, making it more comparable to refueling a gasoline car. By enabling faster and more efficient charging, it helps reduce range anxiety and makes EVs more appealing to a wider consumer base. This type of technology is becoming a standard feature in high-performance EVs, directly impacting customer satisfaction and the competitive landscape for EV manufacturers.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent details a system for electric vehicles to prepare their batteries for charging. A controller in the vehicle automatically detects when the car is heading to a charging station, specifically when the battery's charge is below a certain level (Claim 1). As the car drives, the controller activates the battery cooling system. This system uses a special material called a phase change material (PCM) that surrounds part of the battery (Claim 5). Refrigerant coolant circulates to cool this PCM, which in turn cools the battery to a specific target temperature by the time the vehicle arrives at the charging station (Claim 1, 5). For example, if you set your navigation to a fast charger and your battery is low, the car starts cooling the battery on the highway so it's ready for optimal charging when you plug in.
The clever bit
The novelty lies in the system's ability to intelligently predict and proactively pre-cool the battery *during* the drive to a charging station, using a phase change material for efficient cold storage, rather than waiting until the vehicle is parked and plugged in.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover pre-cooling systems that activate only after the vehicle arrives at the charging station.
- Does not cover systems that pre-cool the battery when its state of charge is above a predefined threshold (Claim 1).
- Does not cover battery pre-cooling without the use of a phase change material (PCM) as a cold storage component (Claim 5, 8).
- Does not cover systems where the cooling rate is not adjusted based on factors like the battery's discharge rate, distance to the station, and the charging station's expected rate (Claim 4, 6).
- Does not cover pre-cooling methods that do not involve circulating a refrigerant coolant to the phase change material (Claim 5, 8).
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
6/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
13/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$42K – $135K
Midpoint $84K · 12.7 yr remaining · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
20 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Manzoor, W. A., ROBERT, B. J., ZHENG, Y., & Huang, D. C. (2021). How Electric Cars Pre-Cool Batteries Before Fast Charging (U.S. Patent No. 11,043,834). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11043834/method-and-system-of-predicting-recharging-of-battery-of-vehicle-at-charging-sta
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Electric Cars Pre-Cool Batteries Before Fast Charging cover?
This patent describes an electric vehicle system that automatically cools its main battery to an ideal temperature while driving to a charging station, making charging faster and more efficient.
Who owns patent US 11043834?
Ford Global Technologies owns this patent, granted in 2021.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on June 28, 2039, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 11043834 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Electric vehicle batteries perform best and charge fastest within a specific temperature range. If a battery is too hot or too cold, charging can be slower and less efficient, and it can even degrade the battery over time. This technology aims to optimize the charging process by ensuring the battery is at its ideal temperature upon arrival, which is crucial for improving the user experience and extending battery life in modern EVs.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover pre-cooling systems that activate only after the vehicle arrives at the charging station.
Patent monitoring