A wireless technology system that does not require drivers to plug in electric cars for charging is being tested by Volvo in Sweden. The development could solve the challenges facing owners who do not have access to home charging points.
It could also eventually eliminate the need for heavy cables and cumbersome charging.
The three year test will be conducted on a fleet of taxies in Gothenburg to evaluate the potential use of charging pads for future electric cars.
A small fleet of fully electric Volvo XC40 Recharge cars will be used as taxis by Cabonline, the largest taxi operator in the Nordic region, and charged wirelessly at stations in Gothenburg.
In total, the cars will be used for more than 12 hours a day and will drive 100,000 km per year - the first durability test of fully electric Volvo cars in a commercial usage scenario.
Gothenburg City has designated areas within the city that are used as live testbeds for the development of sustainable technologies.
The charging stations used in the test are delivered by Momentum Dynamics, a provider of wireless electric charging systems. The charging starts automatically when a compatible vehicle parks over a charging pad embedded in the street, allowing drivers to conveniently charge without getting out of their car.
The charging station sends energy through the charging pad, which is picked up by a receiver unit in the car. To easily align the car with the charging pad, Volvo Cars will use its 360-degree camera system. For the fully electric XC40 Recharge cars, the wireless charging power will be more than 40 kW, making the charging speeds around four times faster than a wired 11 kW AC charger and almost as fast as a wired 50 kW DC fast charger.
A number of energy and charging companies are also involved in the testing of the technology, along with the Gothenburg Green City authority.
