Could Wireless Charging Be Turning Point for EV Adoption?
Electric vehicles (“EVs”) are set to take over the world’s roads over the coming decade, replacing internal combustion engine vehicles, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and cutting down on carbon dioxide emissions from transportation. However, charging has been a major hindrance to EV adoption, and battery makers as well as policy makers have been working to improve battery technology and make EV chargers more accessible. One of the most exciting developments in the battery space has been wireless charging.
Although this technology has been around for quite a while, it was first discovered by Nikola Tesla more than a century ago. However, it hasn’t been used practically until recently. Also called wireless power transfer (“WPT”), the technology has mainly been used to charge mobile phones and laptops. WTP is now being adapted for electric vehicles, and with the fledgling EV sector being heavily dependent on power and charging technology, EVs and wireless technology may just be a match made in heaven.
Here’s how it works: electricity is transferred from a transmitter, which draws power from the grid to a receiver, which converts the AC to DC and charges the onboard battery. Part of the ground assembly (“GA”), or the transmitter, is then installed in the ground, and the vehicle starts charging once it is parked over the ground assembly.
Electricity moves from the transmitter to the receiver through the air, eliminating the need for miles of cables as well as charging station installations altogether. Theoretically, you could fill a parking lot with wireless chargers, and EV drivers would just have to park and let their vehicles charge.
Wireless electric vehicle chargers’ efficiency may reach 93%, WiTricity says, equipped with level 2 charging and charging speeds of 3.6 to more than 11 kilowatts. Thanks to simple ground assembly designs, WTP can be used with SUVs, sports cars and sedans. Some researchers are even studying and developing wireless-charging technology to cater to larger vehicles with wider air gaps. For example, a Cornell University study led by Khurram Afridi and his team came up with a design that transfers electricity over large air gaps and allows efficient charging even when the charging plates aren’t perfectly aligned with the ground assembly.
This will allow for the charging of larger trucks, and if wireless chargers are installed along major highways, large long-haul trucks would have a decent supply of power. Installing charging strips in parking lots, traffic lights and busy city streets would make charging much more accessible and help boost EV adoption, but it would also require plenty of government support.
Other companies, including Ideanomics Inc. (NASDAQ: IDEX), are also working on bringing to market wireless EV-charging technology targeting different market segments, such as heavy commercial trucks.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Ideanomics Inc. (NASDAQ: IDEX) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/IDEX
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Green Car Stocks website applicable to all content provided by GCS, wherever published or re-published: https://www.GreenCarStocks.com/Disclaimer
Electric vehicles (“EVs”) are set to take over the world’s roads over the coming decade, replacing internal combustion engine vehicles, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and cutting down on carbon dioxide emissions from transportation. However, charging has been a major hindrance to EV adoption, and battery makers as well as policy makers have been working to improve battery technology and make EV chargers more accessible. One of the most exciting developments in the battery space has been wireless charging.
Although this technology has been around for quite a while, it was first discovered by Nikola Tesla more than a century ago. However, it hasn’t been used practically until recently. Also called wireless power transfer (“WPT”), the technology has mainly been used to charge mobile phones and laptops. WTP is now being adapted for electric vehicles, and with the fledgling EV sector being heavily dependent on power and charging technology, EVs and wireless technology may just be a match made in heaven.
Here’s how it works: electricity is transferred from a transmitter, which draws power from the grid to a receiver, which converts the AC to DC and charges the onboard battery. Part of the ground assembly (“GA”), or the transmitter, is then installed in the ground, and the vehicle starts charging once it is parked over the ground assembly.
Electricity moves from the transmitter to the receiver through the air, eliminating the need for miles of cables as well as charging station installations altogether. Theoretically, you could fill a parking lot with wireless chargers, and EV drivers would just have to park and let their vehicles charge.
Wireless electric vehicle chargers’ efficiency may reach 93%, WiTricity says, equipped with level 2 charging and charging speeds of 3.6 to more than 11 kilowatts. Thanks to simple ground assembly designs, WTP can be used with SUVs, sports cars and sedans. Some researchers are even studying and developing wireless-charging technology to cater to larger vehicles with wider air gaps. For example, a Cornell University study led by Khurram Afridi and his team came up with a design that transfers electricity over large air gaps and allows efficient charging even when the charging plates aren’t perfectly aligned with the ground assembly.
This will allow for the charging of larger trucks, and if wireless chargers are installed along major highways, large long-haul trucks would have a decent supply of power. Installing charging strips in parking lots, traffic lights and busy city streets would make charging much more accessible and help boost EV adoption, but it would also require plenty of government support.
Other companies, including Ideanomics Inc. (NASDAQ: IDEX), are also working on bringing to market wireless EV-charging technology targeting different market segments, such as heavy commercial trucks.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Ideanomics Inc. (NASDAQ: IDEX) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/IDEX
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Green Car Stocks website applicable to all content provided by GCS, wherever published or re-published: https://www.GreenCarStocks.com/Disclaimer
