Volvo XC40 Charging testing Wireless electric vehicle charging in Sweden
Volvo is joining the EV revolution by offering wireless electric vehicle charging in Sweden for the next three years. A group of taxis will use the Volvo XC40 Recharge SUV to test the project.
This wireless charging experiment for electric vehicles will use the Volvo XC40 Recharge
A fleet of fully electric Volvo XC40 Recharge vehicles will use the new wireless charging throughout Gothenburg, Sweden. The area has something called Gothenburg’s green city zone. Volvo says in the press release that Gothenburg’s green city zone has “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 try exciting new technologies in a real environment and evaluate them over time for a potential future broader introduction.”
Mats Moberg | Head of research and development at Volvo Cars
Cabonline is the largest taxi company in the Nordic region, so Volvo decided to create a partnership. Volvo calls these projects a “strategic initiative” and this is just one of many.
Volvo is collaborating with Cabonline taxis to test the wireless electric vehicle charging
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Mats Moberg went on to say that the use of the cabonline taxi service is a good way to continue to develop these technologies. This benefits Volvo from testing alternative charging technology for electric vehicles, while at the same time giving the taxi service a zero-emission boost.
Momentum Dynamics will be the supplier of these wireless charging systems for electric vehicles. The Volvo XC40 Recharge is charged automatically when the vehicle is parked across the parking lot. The parking area will consist of a charging pad embedded on the street. It works as it sounds; drivers can drive over the area and comfortably charge the electric car wirelessly.
A receiver unit in the car absorbs the energy from the charging plate. The wireless electric vehicle charge in the XC40 Recharge will be more than 40 kW. It is almost four times faster than the wired 11 kW AC charger. A comparable charging experience would be a wired 50 kW DC fast charger, which is quite fast. This means that taxi drivers do not have to wait too long to pick up a new trip.
This will be the first durability test of a Volvo EV
These XC40 Recharge taxis will be used approximately 12 hours a day and drive more than 60,000 miles per year. Volvo says it is the “first durability test of all-electric Volvo cars in a commercial use scenario.” The car manufacturer was a big proponent of the Gothenburg Green City Zone initiative, so this continuation of a project makes sense. The area hopes to have all transport options with zero emissions by 2030.
This wireless electric vehicle charging project is intended to run for three years. Other partners are Volvo Bil, Volvo Car Sörred, Vattenfall and its charging network company called InCharge. Göteborg Energi, the city energy company and Business Region Göteborg are also involved. If the wireless charging turns out to have a positive effect on the taxi service and the environment, there will probably be more places available in the future.
The Volvo XC40 Recharge is receiving 250 kWh of free charge from Electrify America in the US right now, in case you would like to investigate further.
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