For now, electric vehicles need to be plugged in to be charged. But as we’ve seen with newer cellular devices, it's not far-fetched to think that inductive energy recovery (or charging) will one day be a reality.
In fact, such systems already exist, but up to now they’ve all been limited to testing phases. And that’S because while the concept of induction charging is actually simple enough, applying it in the real world is not. Still, that's not stopping Volvo, which has announced it will start testing wireless charging systems with its XC40 Recharge model. To do so, it has created a small fleet of cabs for Cabonline, the largest cab company in Scandinavia.
The trials, which will take place where Volvo was founded, in Gothenburg, Sweden, are set to last for three years. Volvo says the driving conditions will require the vehicles to spend 12 hours a day on the road and that they will cover 100,000 km a year.
The charging stations will be supplied by American firm Momentum Dynamics. These will be integrated into the pavement of the parking spaces of the XC40s being tested. When the vehicles are correctly parked (an operation facilitated by the on-board camera), recharging starts automatically. Charging speed is 40 kW, which is similar to the maximum capacity of chargers built into many electric vehicles when connected to a DC station.
At this time, Volvo has not announced anything about the future availability of wireless charging. Of course, that will depend largely on the results of the testing; if they are conclusive, we could see Volvo take the nest step with the technology.
Logically, one day it should be the norm. But when that day might come is not clear. It won’t be soon, so patience is in order.
