CUTTING: Wireless charging imminent?
Toyota are set to begin verification testing of a new wireless battery charging system for electric vehicles ahead of a potential market launch.
The new technology, which will be trialled later this month in Japan, charges vehicles parked in alignment with a coil set into the surface of the ground.
Electricity is transmitted using magnetic resonance created by changes in magnetic field intensity between the transmitting coil in the ground and a receiving coil in the car.
It is designed so it can reduce any loss in power transmission efficiency caused by misalignment or height differences between the coils.
Measures have been taken to minimise electromagnetic interference with nearby equipment, and the transmitting coil in the ground has been made robust enough to withstand vehicles driving over it.
To help the driver align the car correctly, Toyota have developed a function for their Intelligent Parking Assist system that shows the position of the transmitting coil in a parking space.
The test programme involves three plug-in hybrids used by homes in Japan.
It will assess user satisfaction, the system’s ease of use, misalignment rates and charging behaviour, such as how often charging takes place and timer-based charging used.
Toyota will use the test results to develop the technology further, with the ultimate aim of bringing the system to market.
