BMW i is introducing a factory-fitted, fully integrated inductive charging facility for the high-voltage battery in a plug-in hybrid vehicle. Production will start in July. The BMW Wireless Charging option can be ordered now as a leasing-option for the BMW 530e iPerformance (fuel consumption in legislative EU test-cycle combined: 2.3... Read more →

Momentum Dynamics has commissioned the US’ first 200 kW wireless charging system for a battery-electric transit bus fleet. The wireless charging system is now operational on a BYD K9S bus at Link Transit in Wenatchee, Washington. Within five minutes, the wireless charging system automatically adds enough energy to the vehicle’s... Read more →

Tokyo Tech and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. have developed a CMOS wireless transceiver chip that can process signals at high speeds across a broad range of frequencies, from 70 to 105 gigahertz (GHz), using their own bandwidth-increasing technology. With these developments, they succeeded in achieving wireless transmission speeds of 120 gigabits... Read more →

SAE International published SAE J2954 Recommended Practice (RP), providing the first worldwide specification for wireless power transfer (WPT) for electric vehicles up to 11 kW power levels (WPT 3). Following the previous Technical Information Report J2954, with power levels up to WPT 2 (7.7 kW), 11 kW wireless charging is... Read more →

>DAIHEN Corporation, a global leader in electric power transmission, distribution products and industrial robotics, has secured a license to commercialize wireless charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) utilizing WiTricity’s patented technology. DAIHEN began shipments of wireless charging systems for industrial materials handling in 2016 after entering into a licensing and... Read more →

Conference presentations at the 4th International Electric Vehicle Expo this week in Jeju, South Korea, explored issues related to automated driving systems, electric vehicles and infrastructure. Specifically, two presentations from KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) and SAE International addressed the interdependence of standardization, autonomous electric vehicles and... Read more →

Toshiba Corporation announced the results of year-long field tests of electric buses charged with its wireless rapid rechargeable battery system. (Earlier post.) The tests, carried out with the cooperation of Waseda University, showed that using the buses to replace standard diesel buses could cut CO2 emissions from daily operation by... Read more →

Bentley Motors unveiled the EXP 12 Speed 6e concept at the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show. The role of the EXP 12 Speed 6e concept is to gauge public and customer feedback to shape Bentley’s future luxury strategy. Bentley said that an all-electric Bentley will not compromise the quality, refinement... Read more →

At the SAE 2017 Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Technologies Symposium last week, an overview of the plans for testing to validate power levels up to WPT 3, (11kW) for SAE J2954TM were shown along with a preview of the technology to be standardized in the upcoming Recommended Practice. (Earlier post.)... Read more →

SAE International is working to ensure that electric vehicle wireless power transfer systems from diverse manufacturers will interoperate seamlessly with each other to prepare for commercialization in 2020. The SAE TIR (Technical Information Report) J2954 provides guidance to ensure performance and safety of Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) Systems provided from... Read more →

WiTricity is collaborating with Nissan to further the adoption of wireless EV charging systems. Both companies are participating in the SAE International J2954 standardization effort for wireless power transfer. (Earlier post.) The two companies collaborated to submit a joint design system (built using WiTricity’s DRIVE system) to the task force;... Read more →

At a standards meeting held in January at Audi AG in Ingolstadt, Germany, carmakers, Tier 1 suppliers, and technology providers from around the world reached agreement on key technical and procedural elements of the upcoming SAE Recommended Practice (RP) Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) and automated parking alignment and charging of... Read more →

On 6 February, the Center for Sustainable Energy in San Diego in California will be hosting a workshop for SAE J2954 (Wireless Power Transfer and Automated Charging and Alignment) with the California Air Resources Board (ARB) and California Energy Commission (CARB-CEC) related to wireless power transfer technology status and testing... Read more →

SAE International is working to ensure that electric vehicle wireless power transfer systems from different manufacturers can interoperate seamlessly with each other to prepare for commercialization in 2020. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and TDK R&D Corporation, along with the US Department of Energy (DOE), automotive companies and suppliers have completed... Read more →

Wireless power transfer company WiTricity announced Tunable Matching Network (TMN) technology, which allows the wireless charging system automatically to optimize energy transfer between the ground and vehicle in a wide range of real-world operating conditions including parking misalignment, differing vehicle ground clearance and varying battery voltage conditions. This flexibility enables... Read more →

Qualcomm Incorporated and Preh, GmbH, part of the Joyson Electronics Group, have entered into a Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC) license agreement. Preh will include Qualcomm Halo WEVC technology in its product portfolio and will focus on commercializing WEVC systems for Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) and Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturers. Based... Read more →

Scientists at Imperial College London have demonstrated a highly efficient inductive method for wirelessly transferring power to a drone while it is flying. Theoretically, this wireless power transfer (WPT) technology could allow flying drones to stay airborne indefinitely by simply hovering over a ground support vehicle to recharge. The team... Read more →

In a program track on Charging Infrastructure at the World of Energy Solutions Conference in Stuttgart, Germany this week, Jesse Schneider (BMW), SAE Taskforce Chair, Wireless Power Transfer and Alignment Methodology, presented the recently published SAE TIR, Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) for Light-Duty Plug-In/ Electric Vehicles and Alignment Methodology (earlier... Read more →

ELIX Wireless, a Canada-based startup developing novel wireless power transfer technology, signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Chongqing Zongshen Power Machinery Co Ltd, a listed entity of the Zongshen Group. Zongshen Power also acted as the lead investor in ELIX’s US$5-million Series A funding round. ELIX began as a spin-out... Read more →

Wireless power transfer company WiTricity is collaborating with Prodrive Technologies, a Tier-1 supplier of power electronics and sensors, to design a high-performance 11 kW wireless charging system. The two companies were selected to design the system by a leading European carmaker that plans to release its first wirelessly-charged vehicles in... Read more →

The National Science Foundation (NSF) will invest more than $400 million over the next seven years to support fundamental wireless research and to develop platforms for advanced wireless research in support of the White House’s Advanced Wireless Research Initiative. These investments will support the research community in experimenting with and... Read more →

SAE International approved for publishing “SAE TIR J2954 Wireless Power Transfer for Light-Duty Plug-In/ Electric Vehicles and Alignment Methodology,” a milestone industry guideline to establish wireless power transfer between infrastructure, vehicle suppliers and OEMs for plug-in electric and electric vehicles (PH/EV). (Earlier post.) The document will be available from the... Read more →

Ricardo has licensed Qualcomm Halo Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC) technology to commercialize WEVC systems for Plug-In Hybrid (PHEVs) and Electric Vehicles (EVs). (Earlier post.) Under the terms of the agreement, Qualcomm has granted to Ricardo a royalty-bearing technology license to develop, make and supply WEVC systems for automobile manufacturers.... Read more →

A 20-kilowatt wireless charging system demonstrated at Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has achieved 90 percent efficiency and at three times the rate of the plug-in systems commonly used for electric vehicles today. ORNL’s power electronics team achieved this world’s first 20 kW wireless charging system for passenger... Read more →

A research demonstration unveiled at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (DOE ORNL) combines clean energy technologies into a 3D-printed building and a 3D-printed natural gas-powered hybrid vehicle to showcase a new approach to energy use, storage and consumption. The Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy (AMIE) demonstration, displayed at... Read more →

BRUSA Elektronik AG, an automotive Tier 1 power electronics supplier, has licensed Qualcomm Incorporated’s Halo (earlier post) patented inventions to commercialize Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC) systems for Plug-In Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (EVs). Under the terms of the agreement, Qualcomm granted to BRUSA a royalty-bearing patent license to develop,... Read more →

Researchers at North Carolina State University and Carnegie Mellon University have shown that passing wireless power transfer through a magnetic resonance field enhancer (MR-FE)—which could be as simple as a copper loop—can at least double transfer efficiency as compared to transferring through air alone. MR-FE use could potentially boost transfer... Read more →

ELIX Wireless introduced the E10K Wireless Charging System, a wireless charging solution that delivers a full 10kW of wireless power transfer. The E10K Wireless Charging System is based on ELIX Wireless’ patented Magneto-Dynamic Coupling (MDC) technology. MDC, developed at the University of British Columbia, is based on two rotating permanent... Read more →

The V-Charge (Valet Charge) research project, a four-year, €5.63-million (US$6.21-million) effort partly funded through the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research to develop systems for automated valet-parking and inductive charging for electric vehicles, has made the final presentation of its work in a demonstration at the Excellence Parking Garage at... Read more →

Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center, Inc., (HATCI) and Mojo Mobility, Inc., a wireless power technology company, have been awarded funding from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Vehicle Technologies (VT) program to research and develop a system for wireless fast-charging an electric vehicle... Read more →

ZTE Corporation, China’s largest listed telecommunications equipment company, is developing high-power wireless charging systems and services for electric vehicles, with a focus on public charging infrastructure. At a China-US workshop on electric vehicle standardization held in June (earlier post), Academus Tian, VP of ZTE New Energy Vehicle Co., presented an... Read more →

Daimler AG and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (QTI), a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, announced a strategic collaboration focused on connected car technologies. In the first phase of the collaboration, the companies will focus on transforming future vehicles with mobile technologies that enhance in-car experiences and vehicle performance such as 3G/4G connectivity;... Read more →

Researchers at Battelle led by principal investigator Dr. Zia Abdullah have demonstrated the durability of a continuous hydrotreatment process that converts bio-oil from biomass pyrolysis into transportation and aviation fuels, meeting the longevity goals of a challenge from the United States Department of Energy’s (DOE) to make commercially viable transportation... Read more →

At the Los Angeles Auto Show, Audi presented the Audi prologue concept car, featuring a mild hybrid powertrain with a 48V electrical subsystem. (Earlier post.) At the upcoming Geneva show, Audi will show a new variant of the prologue—the Audi prologue Avant—featuring a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Both prologue variants provide... Read more →

At CES, BMW is demonstrating a research application for inductive—i.e. wireless—battery charging using a BMW i8. Earlier this year, BMW and Daimler agreed jointly to develop and to implement one common technology for wireless recharging high-voltage batteries of electric drive and plug-in hybrid vehicles. (Earlier post.) Inductive charging provides reliable,... Read more →

At the 2015 CES in Las Vegas, Volkswagen is showcasing the ongoing development of more connected, more intelligent vehicles by demonstrating four main aspects of emerging mobility technology: computer-controlled drive systems; app and smartphone integration; intuitive vehicle operation; and autonomous and semi-autonomous driving. These technologies are realized in several different... Read more →

Starting June 2016 a prototype for a new Scania plug-in hybrid bus (based on Scania Citywide Low Entry) will go into daily operation in Södertälje. Click to enlarge. Scania is undertaking intensive research into various types of electrification technologies that could replace or complement combustion engines. Inductive charging is among... Read more →

WiTricity, the MIT spin-off commercializing strongly coupled magnetic resonance wireless charging technology for EVs as well as consumer devices, industrial, medical and military applications (earlier post), has work underway to deliver wireless charging systems capable of delivering 10s of kilowatts for plug-ins, compared to the current 3.3 or 6.6 kW,... Read more →

TfL (Transport for London) will trial inductive charging systems provided by IPT Technology on up to four extended range diesel electric hybrid buses in east London from next year. The specially built hybrid double deck buses will operate on route 69 between Canning Town and Walthamstow bus stations. The Alexander... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has issued a request for applications (RFA DTFH6114RA00014) for assistance in establishing a future certification environment for connected vehicle devices and applications. Estimated funding is up to $2 million. DOT currently is assessing applications that realize the full potential of... Read more →

Carbon dioxide recycling in the methanol economy Source: Olah et al. 2009, earlier post. Click to enlarge. A report prepared by ISIS (Institute of Studies for the Integration of Systems - Italy) together with Tecnalia (Spain) for the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) discusses the technological, environmental and economic barriers... Read more →

Navigant projections of wireless EVSE sales. Click to enlarge. In a new report, “Wireless Charging Systems for Electric Vehicles”, Navigant Research forecasts that worldwide sales of wireless EV charging equipment for light-duty vehicles will grow by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 108% from 2013 to 2022, reaching annual... Read more →

System efficiency at 100mm gap for 3.3kW output plotted against primary coil position relative to secondary coil (mm). Source: INL. Click to enlarge. Idaho National Laboratory researchers recently released independent testing results of a wireless charging system designed for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). The system tested, Evatran’s Plugless 3.3 kW... Read more →