Wireless charging also works for electric cars
Initial tests by Empa show comparable efficiency to cable charging
Tests show that electric cars can be charged wirelessly almost as efficiently as with a cable – with around 90 per cent efficiency under real conditions.
Electric cars could soon be charged without cables. A research team at Empa has tested inductive charging under real-life conditions. According to a statement, it works just as efficiently as charging via cable.
With inductive charging, energy is transferred to the vehicle via magnetic fields from a coil installed in the ground – similar to wireless chargers for mobile phones. A charging station was set up for this purpose on the Empa campus in Dübendorf. Several electric cars were fitted with receiver coils and, after safety tests, received individual approval for use on Swiss roads.
Precise parking required
To start the charging process, the vehicles had to be positioned precisely. The system then detects the position above the ground plate and automatically starts charging. In future, a parking assistant will take over this task.
The researchers tested the effects on the battery and efficiency. Tests in snow, rain, temperature changes and slight parking deviations resulted in an efficiency of around 90 per cent – comparable to charging by cable.
