The Volvo XC40 Recharge Wireless Charging Pilot starts in Sweden
While Tesla relies on its Supercharger network for fast charging, the industry continues to look for alternative ways to reduce waiting times at charging stations for electric car owners.
In China, for example, battery replacement stations are becoming more common, with NIO leading the way when it comes to this solution.
Another alternative solution is wireless charging, although this technology is largely limited to pilot projects here and there. Volvo Cars is the latest company to start such an attempt in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The carmaker says they are integrating and testing a new wireless charging technology in a vibrant urban environment to evaluate its potential for future electric cars. For a three-year period, a small fleet of all-electric Volvo XC40 Recharge SUVs will be used by Cabonline, the Nordic region’s largest taxi operator, and charged wirelessly at stations in the city.
In total, Volvo XC40 Recharge EVs will be used for more than 12 hours a day and drive 100,000 kilometers (62,000 miles) per year, making this the first durability test of all-electric Volvo cars in a commercial use scenario.
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Charging starts automatically when a compatible vehicle parks over a charging pad embedded in the street, allowing the driver to charge without getting out of the car. The charging station sends energy through the charging plate which is picked up by a receiver unit in the car.
The trick is to align the car with the charging pad and this is where Volvo’s 360-degree camera system comes in handy. The XC40 Recharge vehicles draw more than 40 kilowatts of wireless charging power, which is about four times faster than a wired 11 kW AC charger and almost as fast as a wired 50 kW DC fast charger.
Obviously, it is far below the highest wired DC fast charging speeds available at the moment; for example, Hyundai Motor Group’s 800-volt E-GMP architecture enables DC fast charging of up to 350 kW.
The charging stations used in the test are supplied by Momentum Dynamics, a leading provider of wireless electric charging systems. Other companies involved in the project are the Swedish energy company Vattenfall and its charging network InCharge, the city energy company Göteborg Energi and Business Region Göteborg, a municipal economic development authority owned by the City of Gothenburg.
The pilot for wireless charging is one of many projects developed under the Gothenburg Green City Zone initiative, which means that designated areas within the city can be used as live test beds for the development of sustainable technology.