Future Ford Vehicles Could Coordinate Torque With Electric Trailers

[turbopilot]

LightShip founders made an important design decision early in development to use a CANBUS Distributed Network Body Controller System. I am not aware of any other RV equipped with this technology. This is an automotive style networking system found almost universally in cars and trucks since 2008. So the LightShip uses the same network topography as the tow vehicles pulling it but to date the only communication between an electric trailer and the tow vehicle is brake light sensing. Ford just filed a patent "Coordinated Control of Vehicle and Trailer Electric Machines, US Patent Number 12,508,857 B2". This patent opens up a whole new area of functionality between a Ford tow vehicle and LightShip. Once the technology in the patent is implemented the Ford tow vehicle and LightShip will speak the same language.

The technology will make available many new areas of added functionality to a Ford towing a LightShip. Bidirectional charging will be possibility as well as advanced powertrain management in both the tow vehicle and the LightShip TrekDrive system. This will impact vehicle efficiency and safety of the tow vehicle/LightShip combination moving down the highway. It could also allow control of LightShip functions via the Ford Sync touch panel in the dash board.

I plan to post a new thread detailing the LightShip Distributed Network Body Controller System once I get a briefing on the system from LightShip.

 

[Rory (Lightship Team)]

Great to see! We really appreciate the team over at Ford, they’ve been great supporters since the beginning.