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Wireless charging on the horizon
Date: 25 July 2016 | Author: Daniel Puddicombe
Inductive charging - which allows vehicles to wirelessly recharge - will be available commercially within five years and will allow "10-plus" cars to charge in an office car park at the same time, according to Chargemaster boss David Martell.
The next Mercedes-Benz S-class plug-in hybrid will come with inductive charging capabilities from 2018, and the technology will then work its way down onto cheaper vehicles, Martell told BusinessCar
Chargemaster uses inductive charging technology under licence by wireless technology giant Qualcomm, and Graeme Davison, vice-president of technology at Qualcomm, told BusinessCar he expects that the next generation of EVs will come with two types of charging: inductive and the traditional plug.
The Formula E electric racing car series currently uses inductive charging from Qualcomm/Chargemaster to recharge its safety and medical cars, and Martell predicted that the system could be a breakthrough for taxi ranks and valet parking areas.
Davison also explained that the pads stop charging when, for instance, a cat ends up beneath the vehicle, and sends an alert to the owner's smartphone, making them aware of the interference.
