- The companies held a successful demonstration of wireless charging Toyota’s RAV4-PHEV on the road.
- Electreon has previously won a tender to install a 1.65 km electric stretch used by buses and trucks in Sweden
- The technology allows EVs to get charged using copper coils laid beneath the asphalt to transfer energy from the electricity grid to the road
Israeli startup Electreon has inked a pact with Japanese automaker Toyota Motors and global auto parts manufacturer Denso Corporation to develop a vehicle receiver based on Electreon’s wireless EV charging technology for Toyota’s electric vehicles (EVs).
The companies conducted a successful evaluation at Electreon’s headquarters in Beit Yanai, Israel in which technical teams from Toyota and Denso participated. They held a demonstration of Toyota’s RAV4-PHEV wireless charging on the road.
The companies are currently discussing a joint development agreement to create an aftermarket wireless kit for current electrified models like the Toyota RAV4 Prime, integration of the wireless charging technology into new vehicles, and a joint pilot project in Japan, the US, or the EU, according to the companies.
The agreement comes less than a month after Tesla teased the future of wireless charging its vehicles. In Sweden, Electreon has previously won a tender to install a 1.65 km electric stretch used by buses and trucks on the 4.1 km route between the airport and the town centre of Visby on Gotland Island.
Wireless EV charging via roads
The global wireless EV charging market size was valued at $7.6 million in 2019 and was projected to reach $210.1 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of 36.4 per cent from 2020 to 2030 as per a report by Valuates Reports.
Founded in 2013, Electreon has been developing a system to charge moving EVs using copper coils laid beneath the asphalt to transfer energy from the electricity grid to the road and to manage communication with approaching vehicles. Receivers are installed on the floor of the vehicles to transmit the energy directly to the engine and the battery while the vehicles are in motion.
In a recent interview with EFY, Indian ferrite core manufacturer, Cosmo Ferrites’ business head Vikas Puri, confirmed the prevalence of wireless charging technology for EVs. He said that Cosmo Ferrites had also developed similar parts for electric cars which would be produced in Israel and the US.
“Our plates will be actually put underneath the road, and if the car stands on top of that particular area, it will automatically get charged. There is no need to plug the car in for charging. This magnetic charge is so very efficient that car batteries can be charged in the span of about 30 odd minutes,” he explained.
There is no confirmation of a direct link between Electreon and Cosmo Ferrites.
Understanding the technology
The principle of wireless charging is similar to the working principle of a transformer. A 220V 50Hz AC supply is supplied to the transmitter coil, creating an alternating magnetic field that cuts the receiver coil and causes the production of AC power output in the receiver coil.
The catch is to maintain the resonance frequency between transmitter and receiver which is done by adding compensation networks on both sides. Finally, the AC power at the receiver side is rectified to DC and fed to the battery through a battery management system (BMS). Based on their applications, wireless charging systems can be of two types — static and dynamic. The charging time in a static system depends on the AC supply power level, the distance between the transmitter & receiver and their pad sizes. A dynamic system allows the battery to be continuously charged while driving on roadways and highways, reducing the need for large energy storage, and making the vehicle lighter.
The current leading provider of factory wireless charging technology, WiTricity, is focusing on static wireless charging, which implies charging while the vehicle is parked. Electreon is working on solutions that can charge the car when it is parked as well as when it is in motion.
Practicality of application
The technology which claims to solve the problem of limited driving range and short battery life spans for EVs comes with its own set of problems. Installing wireless charging stations on the roads means a complete upheaval of the existing infrastructure.
In addition to that, a proper set of rules need to be put in place to regulate electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), electromagnetic interference (EMI) and frequencies as per the standards for human health and safety.
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) was the first to announce the global standards for wireless EV charging at up to 11 KW, in 2020. Electreon has been a part of the process behind setting up these standards.
