The days of plugging your electric car into a socket to charge could soon be over.
Volvo is testing 40kW wireless EV chargers in Sweden, equipping a fleet of Volvo XC40 Recharge taxis with induction charging kits supplied by Momentum Dynamics that respond to charging plates built into the ground.
The three-year trial will see a small fleet of Volvos equipped with 360-degree cameras to help drivers park over the wireless charging plates. When parked over the right spot, the cars charge automatically.
Wireless EV chargers are not a new concept with UK trials commencing last year, but Volvo’s trial is more exciting because the vehicles can charge so quickly – the 40kW wireless chargers add up to 80-miles of range per hour!
“Gothenburg Green City Zone lets us try exciting new technologies in a real environment and evaluate them over time for a potential future broader introduction. Testing new charging technologies together with selected partners is a good way to evaluate alternative charging options for our future cars.”
Mats Moberg, head of Research and Development at Volvo Cars.
Data collected from the trial will help Volvo understand how the technology performs in all climates. Vehicles in the trial will be driven professionally for 12-hours every day to simulate the same lifestyle that ICE taxis have.
In related news, a road with built-in wireless EV chargers that can charge electric cars on the move is being trialled in Detroit.
Source: Volvo
