Volvo trialled wireless charging stations for EV taxis in Sweden – here’s how it went

Electric vehicles (EVs) are connected nan rise, yet charging remains 1 of nan main hurdles for regular drivers.

In Gothenburg, Sweden, a bold research aimed to tackle it by eliminating plugs.

Since March 2022, nan metropolis has been testing wireless charging exertion done a unsocial three-year aviator involving a fleet of 20 electrical taxis. 

Volvo Cars supplied nan cars, nan American institution Induct EV integrated nan inductive charging technology, and Gothenburg City provided infrastructure.

Over 3 years, 20 Volvo’s XC40 were utilized successful taxi operations, covering complete 4.3 cardinal kilometres, according to a study published by Business Region Göteborg, nan city’s economical improvement agency.

“We are doing this to create much learning astir what nan wireless charging usage will be, and it's each astir nan group and really you will person nan technology,” Robert Eriksson, a elder method leader astatine Volvo Cars, told Euronews Next.

The wireless charging stations complete nan trial play covered 13.5 per cent of nan full fleet power supply.

“It's a bully task … you don't person to interest astir nan cable. Just guidelines connected apical of those [pads],” Talal Maksassi, a section taxi driver, told Euronews Next.

How does it work?

The wireless charging technology, developed by InductEV, was built into trial cars supplied by Volvo Cars. 

Using a 360-degree camera built into Volvo’s XC40, drivers tin spot nan receiver marked arsenic a bluish container connected nan crushed and align nan car connected apical of it to commencement charging.

Maksassi says it was tricky to align nan car astatine first, but he’s gotten utilized to it since.

“You request to beryllium successful nan nonstop spot to complaint nan car. Otherwise, it doesn’t work. But you get utilized to it arsenic well,” he said.

The exertion useful overmuch for illustration a elephantine wireless telephone charger.

The in-ground chargers, connected to a charging position located astir 20 meters away, transmit power upward to a receiver mounted nether nan vehicle. 

“What you person successful nan bluish portion present connected nan crushed is simply a coil that is transmitting nan wireless inductive power into nan receiver of nan car. There is simply a akin pad placed nether nan car that receives nan power and past transports it done nan wiring corners into nan artillery of nan vehicle,” Eriksson said.

The in-ground chargers tin present up to 75 kW.

‘Green City Zone’

The task was portion of Gothenburg’s broader ‘Green City Zone’ initiative, which turns parts of nan metropolis into real-world testbeds for supporting nan improvement of sustainable carrier technologies, successful an effort to guarantee emission-free postulation by 2030.

In nan EU personnel states, all caller rider cars and vans sold must beryllium zero‑emission from January 2035.

“We person recovered wireless charging to beryllium charismatic for taxi fleets and different transporters astatine cardinal locations wrong nan city, pinch awesome imaginable of supporting our city’s ambiance targets of lowering emissions from nan postulation system,” Patrik Andersson, CEO, Business Region Göteborg, stated successful nan report.

“We are happy to foster further collaboration, and gladsome that an absolute mostly of nan project’s drivers are keen to proceed utilizing this innovative solution,” he added.

The study shows that nan usage of plug-free charging tin beryllium improved pinch an accrued number of charging stations.

Volvo Car said nan task tin easy beryllium replicated successful different European cities.

“You tin standard almost anyplace wherever you person electrical vehicles and wherever you person an infrastructure, electrical grids disposable and truthful on,” Eriksson said.

“Of course, you request to find places to put nan charging station, and truthful you request to interact pinch nan city. This is not thing you tin do wholly unsocial arsenic a group. You request to enactment together pinch others,” he added.

The metropolis has precocious announced a caller charging position pinch 2 inductive chargers successful beforehand of a monolithic world convention hall, successful summation to nan 2 charging stations pinch 4 in-ground chargers utilized successful nan trial.

For much connected this story, watch nan video successful nan media subordinate above.