Can we avoid plugging in electric cars in the future? Certainly not charging, but plugging in a cable can be avoided: Volvo is currently testing inductive charging for cars in Gothenburg. Just like we know from mobile phone chargers in cars, just bigger and with more power.
In the heart of the Swedish city, a small fleet of fully electric Volvo XC40 Recharge taxis is now on the road. The electric vehicles used by Cabonline, the largest taxi company in Scandinavia, can be charged wirelessly at selected stations while waiting for passengers. The three-year trial phase is one of many projects as part of Gothenburg’s “Green City Zone” initiative, which is committed to the accelerated development of sustainable technology. Parts of the city will be transformed into a test laboratory. “Gothenburg’s Green City Zone allows us to try out new technology in a real environment and evaluate its future widespread introduction,” says Mats Moberg, Head of Research and Development at Volvo Cars. “Testing new charging processes together with selected partners is a good way to evaluate alternative charging options for our future electric vehicles.” The electric cars are thus also facing the first endurance test in a commercial usage scenario. They are charged at charging stations from Momentum Dynamics, a leading provider of wireless electrical charging systems. As soon as a compatible e-vehicle is parked over a charging station embedded in the ground, the charging process begins automatically – the driver does not even have to get out. For optimal alignment, Volvo Cars uses its 360-degree camera system to park the vehicle perfectly on the charging unit. The station sends energy to the receiver in the car via a charging pad. The fully electric Volvo XC40 Recharge is supplied wirelessly with more than 40 kW of power – the charging speed is almost four times as high as that of a privately used 11 kW wall box and almost as fast as with wired 50 kW direct current chargers.Volvo Since last year, Cars has been part of Gothenburg’s “Green City Zone” initiative, which aims to achieve zero-emission road traffic by 2030. Using a real city as a test area enables the Swedish manufacturer to develop new technologies and services in the areas of electrification, shared mobility, autonomous driving, connectivity and safety even faster.
source site-13