Wireless EV charging

BMW London

Wireless charging test set for London

Qualcomm, a world leader in mobile technologies, has announced an industry leading initiative for the city of London involving a wireless electric vehicle charging (WEVC) trial.

The trial, due to involve as many as 50 electric vehicles, is due to start early in 2012. It involves Qualcomm’s wireless inductive power transfer technology, where the vehicle simply parks over a charging mat and a receiver on the car aligns for easy power transfer.

“Wireless charging eradicates the EV plug-in cable and makes charging of electric vehicles simple and easy for drivers,” explains Andrew Gilbert, executive vice president of European Innovation Development at Qualcomm.

“This wireless charging technology is a giant leap forward for the electric car industry and I am delighted that London businesses will be among the first to benefit from the trial,” said British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The trial will be based in Tech City, a technology hub located in London’s east end that is home to Cisco Systems, Intel, Facebook and Google, among other tech-minded companies.

“Encouraging a massive uptake in electric driving is key to this vision of becoming a zero-emission city,” added London Mayor Boris Johnson. “This trial is an innovative new facet of (the) plans, with the promise to help drivers go electric with even greater confidence.”

“We are delighted to be part of this exciting wireless EV/PHEV charging program. “The London trial will complement our existing electric vehicle infrastructure programs and keep London and the UK at the forefront of electric vehicle charging technology,” said David Martell, chief executive of Chargemaster plc, the leading European operator of advanced EV charging infrastructure.

 Source: Autonet