Project AutoDock
Making EV charging disappear.
Making EV charging disappear.
ResearchThe problem
Charging isn't difficult. Remembering to charge is. Depots rely on people plugging in the right vehicles at the right time, so vehicles charge immediately whether they need it or not — at the most expensive hours, on the wrong charger, cycling batteries that were already full enough for tomorrow's work.
What we built
Not the robot. The intelligence. AutoDock is the decision layer that sits above robotic charging arms, wireless pads and ordinary chargers and answers: should this vehicle charge, when, how much, on which charger, and does another vehicle need it more. It reads tomorrow's jobs, required range, electricity prices, battery health, weather, charger availability and fleet priorities, then hands the physical work to whatever hardware the depot has. Vehicle 12 charges now. Vehicle 3 waits until 2:30am. Vehicle 9 doesn't charge at all.
Where it is now
Research prototype. We are modelling depot scheduling against real fleet patterns. No hardware is being built by us, and nothing is shipped.
Research questions
- Can charging become completely invisible to the driver?
- Should this vehicle charge at all today?
- What is the cheapest and cleanest hour to charge?
- Which vehicle needs the charger most?
- Can a depot manage itself overnight?
Potential benefits
Future concepts
Research only. These are not existing features.
Who it's for
Components
Principle
“Not autonomous driving. Autonomous charging.”
Research question
“Can a depot decide for itself which vehicle charges, and when?”
Why this matters
Charging is not hard. Remembering is. Vehicles get plugged in at the most expensive hour, on the wrong charger, whether they needed it or not.
Current progress
Research — depot scheduling modelled against real fleet patterns. No hardware, nothing shipped.
Workflow
Research
Modelling depot charge decisions against real fleet duty cycles and half-hourly tariffs.
How it could work
Problem
Every vehicle charges immediately, at the same time, whether it needs to or not.
Current world
A person walking the yard with a cable and a memory of tomorrow's jobs.
Quinn Labs idea
A decision layer above whatever hardware exists: should this vehicle charge, when, how much, on which charger.
Potential future
Depots that manage themselves overnight and explain each decision in one line.
Research board
Should it charge at all?
The most valuable answer is often no. A vehicle already good for tomorrow is a charger someone else needs.
Plan vs actual
Compare the modelled overnight schedule with what the depot really did, and price the difference.
Half-hourly tariffs
Timing moves cost more than efficiency does.
Open questions
Who explains the order?
If a driver arrives to a van at 40%, the reason has to fit in a sentence.
Future possibilities
Research directions only. None of these exist, and some never will.
Questions we're asking
- Should this vehicle charge today?
- Which vehicle needs the charger most?
- What is the cheapest and cleanest hour?
- Can a depot run its own night?
Potential collaborators
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Similar problem in your business?
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