Wireless charging for electric vehicles could soon be a reality

What if your electric vehicle can charge wirelessly, just like your smartphone? China is on its way to implement this technology soon. The China Electricity Council has recently introduced national standards to charge EVs wirelessly. And the foundation was laid by the WiTricity firm whose technology is being used for wireless charging of vehicles.

China’sauto market is by far the most aggressive in transitioning to electric, and Chinese carmakers are seeking ways to make the EV ownership experience even more appealing to new buyers. Wireless charging makes charging as simple as parking your car and walking away, ensuring that full battery capacity and range is seamlessly available to the driver.

Wireless EV charging with WiTricity’s magnetic resonance technology can deliver the same power, efficiency and charge rate as conventional plug-in charging methods with no compromises. Wireless EV charging is not just convenient, it is critical for the automatic charging of future fleets of autonomous vehicles, such as robotaxis or delivery vans.

For the past four years,WiTricityhas been actively involved in the Chinese wireless EV charging standardisation process through its work with China Electric Power Research Institute (CEPRI), China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) and the CEC. With a global IP portfolio of over 1400 issued and pending patents, WiTricity has declared twenty Chinese patents as standards essential to systems implementing the national standard.

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“It’s a significant milestone for WiTricity to have our patented wireless charging technology embraced in the Chinese GB national standard. China is the world’s largest EV market, the global EV trend setter, and a key market for WiTricity. Following our close work with CEC, CATARC and CEPRI, we’re thrilled that the GB standard is published, creating a clear path for automakers and their Tier 1 suppliers in China to implement wireless charging," said Alex Gruzen, WiTricity CEO. “We are proud of the work we’ve done in China to make EV ownership more appealing to everyone with our hands-free wireless charging."

WiTricityplays an active role in working with Tier 1 suppliers in China to design and realise systems that will meet China’s national standard. Zhejiang VIE Science & Technology Co., Ltd. subsidiary (VIE) and Anjie Wireless Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd. (Anjie) have licensed WiTricity’s technology and industry-leading designs which include all needed peripheral systems such as foreign object detection, position detection and communications. These companies develop and commercialise highly efficient wireless EV charging systems for sale to leading automaker brands in the China market. VIE has completed construction of its pilot production facility to assemble wireless charging systems for its initial OEM customers. Anjie recently demonstrated a fully autonomous parking and wireless charging experience on anXpeng Motors’ EV, showing the world what the future of autonomous, electric mobility will look like in the years to come.