Ford launches EV+ feature to distribute vehicle power based on road segment

The EV system developed by Ford helps electric vehicles achieve longer driving time in pure electric mode. EV is part of Ford SmartGauge and will become standard equipment on Ford C-MAX Energi, Fusion Energi and hybrid versions of both vehicles.

The EV is equipped with a built-in GPS, which uses a special software algorithm to record several destinations that the vehicle frequently visits. When the system detects that the vehicle has arrived at one of the frequently visited destinations, such as a parking space in a residential area, the energy stored in the battery will be fully used to power the vehicle, as these locations usually have charging facilities.

"We've learned from our research that hybrid owners expect more electric-only driving range," said Kevin Layden, Ford's director of electrification programs and engineering. "We have built-in GPS into the Ford SYNC system, and what we're trying to do is use GPS to distribute energy differently in different locations to ensure the best driving experience for the driver."

When the EV system is working, the built-in GPS function of the system will record the coordinate data of several destinations frequently visited by the car. Of course, users can also manually delete these recorded points.

When the system detects that the vehicle is at one of several places frequently visited, the vehicle's driving mode will automatically change, especially when it is within 1/8 mile or 200 meters of the destination, the car will automatically change from internal combustion engine driving mode to pure electric driving mode, and the "EV" indicator light on the instrument panel will also light up.

Initially, the researchers planned to develop a system that could collect and process a large amount of information to predict and adjust different driving needs. However, the researchers soon found that collecting and analyzing a large amount of data and making predictions required very complex hardware and software systems, which would cost a lot of money.

Later, a new analysis method was gradually developed, which used the built-in GPS to collect real-time vehicle data instead of all the vehicle's driving information, and achieved the same effect by allocating power based on certain frequently visited destinations.

The SYNC infotainment system can be connected and activated through a mobile phone and audio system. Every new Ford model will be equipped with a GPS module in the SYNC system. SYNC provides services based on vehicle coordinates, such as the traffic status display function of the section by section and the EV function mentioned above.

In addition, the SYNC system uses GPS to transmit coordinates to emergency response agencies, such as 911, in the event of a vehicle accident.