Charging your EV can often be a hassle with the hefty cables, but what if a wireless charger could charge it just as fast?
Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the US succeeded in developing the fastest wireless charger for EVs to date.
Their latest innovation can charge any supported EV at 100 kW, making it up to the standards of wired charging.
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For a wireless charger, that’s incredibly fast.
The previous best wireless charger could only achieve a maximum of 12 kW charging speeds.
In their tests, the team of scientists charged a Hyundai Kona EV with a five-inch gap between the car and the wireless charger.
That’s quite an achievement.
Imagine driving up to a Tesla Supercharger charging station — you park your car at the stall, don’t plug a cable in, don’t scan anything, and just walk away to grab a bite while your car charges.
Sounds convenient, right?
This technology seems promising for anyone hoping for wireless electric vehicle charging in the near future.
If wireless charger tech makes it to all charging stations, EV adoption could increase significantly.
More and more brands are adding EVs to their catalog, like Audi’s latest Q6 e-tron SUV.
But how did they do it?
The scientists at the Tennessee-based lab used an approach similar to smaller wireless chargers like the ones used to charge phones.
ORNL’s wireless charger features a ‘polyphase electromagnetic coupling coil’ design that can charge any EV with 96% efficiency.
“We’ve achieved the highest power density in the world for a wireless charging system for this class of vehicle,” ORNL researcher Omer Onar mentioned in a press release.
He added: “Our technology reaches power densities 8-10 times higher than conventional coil technology and can increase battery charge state by 50% in under 20 minutes.”
Many automakers have tried their hand at developing wireless charging technology.
Some couldn’t make something viable, while others, like Genesis, a popular EV brand, ditched the idea of wireless charging altogether.
While the wireless charger is still only available inside a lab, every automaker will want to grab it when it’s ready for production.
