Wireless EV Charging While Driving Is the Future of the Electric Vehicle Industry
It’s clear that electric vehicles are the future of mobility worldwide and in the United States. Canary Media says that EV sales in the U.S. will exceed one million in 2023. EV adoption is growing fast due to many government incentives, cost-savings, and environmental benefits drivers and business owners are becoming more aware of every year. Climate change is a significant problem that the world needs to work together on, and supporting EV adoption is a good way to participate in this collaborative effort. Wireless EV charging while driving is the most exciting new technology in the electric vehicle industry.
(Image: EV charging while driving, courtesy Shutterstock)
Benefits of wireless EV charging while driving
EV experts and futurists expect electromagnetic induction and coils to be built into roadways worldwide, creating innovative and efficient wireless EV charging while driving. Wireless EV charging while driving eliminates the time currently needed for an EV to charge at a station. This method also eliminates the problem of having to wait for an available charger at a station.
Wireless EV charging is a game-changer for the EV charging industry
Wireless EV charging is superior to traditional wired EV charging for many reasons. Wireless EV charging doesn’t require a charging cord, which offers many benefits. For example, a taxi waiting for passengers can charge while waiting at a train station. An excellent example of this is at the Green City Zone, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Taxi operator Cabonline’s fully electric Volvo XC40 taxis charge using wireless EV charging installed by InductEV, (formerly Momentum Dynamics.) InductEV is currently the leading company in the wireless EV charging space.
“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,” said Mats Moberg, head of research and development for Volvo. “Testing new charging technologies together with selected partners is a good way to evaluate alternative charging options for our future cars.”
(Image: Cabonline’s fully electric Volvo XC40 taxis charge using wireless EV charging installed by InductEV.)
There are many benefits of wireless EV charging
Two essential barriers to EV adoption are the availability and reliability of charging stations. This includes the number and location of available stations and possible wait times to plug in. These concerns affect both the car-buying public and fleet managers as they plan trips for electric trucks. Battery weight and cost are severe issues for electric passenger cars and trucks of all sizes. With wireless electric vehicle charging, vehicles can utilize smaller and less expensive batteries because they can charge while waiting at a stop, for example, a taxi fleet waiting for passengers.
Another advantage of wireless EV charging is the ability to do away with charging cables. Charging cables can get damaged by use over time and can cause a safety hazard. Another downside to plugged charging is differing connector types. EV owners have needed help finding stations that conform to their vehicle’s manufacturer connector type. Many have had to use adapters. Wireless EV charging eliminates any compatibility issues. SAE International is working towards a universal standard for wireless EV charging named SAE J2954.
EV industry thought leader John F. Rizzo, Managing Director, Strategy & Corporate Development at InductEV, said: “The grid has changed. Peak load is now at night, not during the daytime. EV’s charged at night, at home, or in a depot, puts even more strain on our grid capacity. When charging while traveling on a vehicle’s route, energy load is distributed across the day and across the grid, making the cost to charge less expensive. Less costly as well for not taking up large amount of precious real estate for one charger for every vehicle. And wireless chargers at high power can be shared among vehicles as well as keeping them in a charge range that preserves batter life, saving money and eliminating expensive recycling.”
Autonomous vehicles are a perfect use case for wireless EV charging
The autonomous vehicle market is growing rapidly. According to a January 2023 report by McKinsey, “by 2035, autonomous driving could create $300 billion to $400 billion in revenue.” The report also says: “autonomous driving could produce substantial value for drivers, the auto industry, and society.”
A perfect use case for wireless EV charging is autonomous vehicles. It wouldn’t make sense to have an autonomous vehicle that a human must plug in to charge. The autonomous vehicle parking itself on a wireless EV charging pad would be much better, in keeping with the spirit of automation and efficiency that autonomous vehicles promise to the automotive industry.
How does wireless EV charging work?
The type of wireless charging that most people are familiar with is wireless cell phone charging, using electromagnetic induction and coils. Wireless EV charging uses the same process. One difference is that the phone is placed on the charger to charge wirelessly; the power does not travel through the air. When wirelessly charging an EV, the energy travels from a pad in the ground to a receiving unit on the underbelly of the EV. An “air gap” is the space between the EV and pad, where power travels wirelessly through the air. InductEV’s experts are the current leaders in this technology and are standing by to answer your questions.
V2X is currently a challenge, but possible for wireless EV charging
Another crucial technology for the electric vehicle industry is V2X. V2X means “Vehicle-to-everything” and is the umbrella term for bidirectional charging. Bidirectional charging means that the vehicle can receive power from the grid or power source and send energy stored in the vehicle’s battery back to the power source. Bidirectional charging can do amazing things; for example, a Ford Lightning electric truck can power a house during a blackout using V2L, (Vehicle-to-load). The capability of sending power from EVs back to the grid is essential to the electric vehicle revolution. Many experts are concerned that the vast number of EVs due to hit the U.S. market could crash the grid with all of the additional power needed to charge those EVs.
EV Experts have advised that adding V2X capability to wireless charging-enabled vehicles will add excessive weight and high costs due to the copper coils that would need to be installed in the EVs to send the power from the vehicle’s battery back to the grid. Cost and weight are current concerns, however these concerns are not prohibitive to adoption of V2X on the wireless charging of EVs. Technology is moving rapidly, and by the time this is widely implemented, better and more cost-effective solutions will be available.
Current electrified road systems and tests
In Detroit, a one-mile section of road is currently being electrified, allowing electric cars to charge while driving. This is the first wireless electric vehicle charging road system in the United States. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the project in February 2022.
“As we aim to lead the future of mobility and electrification by boosting electric vehicle production and lowering consumer costs, a wireless in-road charging system is the next piece to the puzzle for sustainability,” said Governor Whitmer. “I am happy to see Michigan lead and keep building on these ground-breaking initiatives creating new business opportunities and high-tech jobs. Together, we will continue growing our economy and putting Michiganders first.”
In February 2023, The Salt Lake Tribune reported on the Center for Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification (ASPIRE) program, which tests electrified roads. Utah State University runs the ASPIRE program.
An electrified track, called an embedded charging test track, has existed near the USU campus for several years. ASPIRE installed the charging and manages the track. ASPIRE is working with the Utah Inland Port Authority to reserve a section of roadway in Salt Lake City, where ASPIRE will implement a plan for in-road charging.
“There are 55 partners from industry, government and academia working with ASPIRE, said Regan Zane, Director of ASPIRE, and electrical engineering professor at USU. Zane continued, “That includes utilities, truck manufacturers, and fleet operators.”
In June 2023, Business Insider reported that a Toyota Rav4 Prime plug-in hybrid drove for 100 hours straight on an electrified track, stopping only to switch drivers. The track was only 25% electrified. In May 2023, The Drive reported that a dynamic wireless charging system would allow vehicles to charge while driving on a one-mile stretch of a four-lane highway near Orlando, Florida. In February 2023, Popular Mechanics reported that a public test would be conducted on a one-kilometer strip of an electrified road in Balingen, Germany. Around the world, similar tests and development of driving while charging are being conducted. The unofficial terms used are “dynamic induction charging” on “electrified roads.”
Why electrified roads are the future
Driving while charging your vehicle is the best solution in the electric vehicle industry for the many current challenges in the EV charging space. While it’s true that the technology is brand-new, its many benefits are very promising. InductEV, the leading company in wireless EV charging, can answer any questions you may have.
EV industry thought leader Anthony Calabro, Chief Product Officer at InductEV said: “Wirelessly charging will continue to revolutionize our lives by effortlessly charging electric vehicles wherever we go whether parked or on the move. Charging pads will continue to blend into our surroundings, making power readily available at our fingertips.”
An ideal future would be one where vehicles never need to be plugged in or visit a gas station. Whether human or autonomous, the drivers would park on a wireless charging pad to get their cars charged while stopped. The vehicles will use wireless EV charging on an electrified road when driving. Wireless EV charging while driving is the ultimate in convenience and efficiency.
Written by Bill Pierce, Publisher EVinfo.net