Volvo is testing wireless car charging in Sweden
GOTHENBURG: While researchers are debating whether wireless car charging in urban areas is the most sustainable way forward, Volvo is starting field tests of the technology in the Swedish city of Gothenburg.
With the help of Volvo VC40 Recharge EVs operated by the taxi company Cabonline, the Swedish manufacturer plans to evaluate the system over the next three years.
The taxis will run 12 hours a day and drive about 100,000 kilometers a year.
The cars get their power when they park over a charging pad embedded in the road. The station below sends electricity through the plate, which is stored in the EV and used for propulsion.
To easily aim the car at the charging plate, the cars use a 360-degree camera system. The charging speed will be more than 40 kW, which is almost four times faster than a wired 11 kW AC charger and almost as fast as a wired 50 kW DC fast charger.
Wireless inductive charging has been tested before city buses, especially in the German capital Berlin. A pilot project there was later abandoned after the operator BVG said that the buses from the Polish manufacturer Solaris proved to be unreliable, with leaves and other road dirt on the cushions that interrupted the flow of electricity.
The wireless charging test is one of many projects within the framework of Gothenburg’s Green City Zone, where designated areas within the city are used as living test beds for the development of sustainable technology.
“Green City Zone in Gothenburg allows us to test exciting new technology in a real environment and evaluate them over time for a potential future broader introduction,” says Volvo’s head of research and development Mats Moberat.
“Testing new charging technology together with selected partners is a good way to evaluate alternative charging options for our future cars.” – dpa