Oslo, the capital of Norway will soon have wireless charging infrastructure for the city’s electric taxis. Finland-based energy company Fortum has announced a joint venture with the city of Oslo and American wireless charging company Momentum Dynamics to build the fast-charging network.

As part of the move, wireless charging plates are expected to be installed on the road at taxi stands with the receivers placed inside the taxis. This will allow cars waiting in line for passengers to recharge their batteries. The taxis can also move about in the queue while the batteries are being recharged. The system could support induction charging up to 75 kW. One of reasons for a wireless system is the ease of usage. It is considered time consuming for a taxi driver to find a charger, plug it in and then wait for the car to charge.

Oslo aims to have only zero-emission taxis by 2023 and all new cars are expected to be pollution free by 2025. Momentum Dynamics has previously showcased a wireless bus charging system in Wenatchee, Washington on a BYD K9S electric bus.

Electric cars will soon get wireless charging capabilities, which will replace the current complex charging procedure that requires the car owner to physically plug the car into a power socket via cables. Many automakers are planning to equip their upcoming electric cars with such wireless charging systems. Market experts suggest that adoption of wireless power transmission in cars will help growth of the electric car market.

The first OEM to use this technology will most likely be Mercedes-Benz, which is expected to make use of induction-based charging systems in the S500e plug-in hybrid that is scheduled to be launched next year. This system is jointly being developed by Mercedes and BMW, with the latter expected to introduce it in the i3 EV and i8 plug-in hybrid. A prototype of the system is already being tested on the BMW i8 that has been deployed as a safety car in Formula E races.

Additionally, many new companies are building aftermarket wireless charging kits for cars already in production. Evatran is one such company, which has developed a wireless charging system for the Tesla Model S. This aftermarket module, called Plugless Power, costs $2,400 and will only be offered for the rear wheel drive Model S. The company hopes to expand it to the entire Tesla range in the future.

Wireless charging basically works on the principle of electromagnetic induction. It includes two charging pads, one placed on the car's underbody, and the other on the parking floor. For this system to work, the car should be parked at the appropriate place wherein the car's charging pad is over the primary charging pad on the floor. Once done, the primary charging pad drives power from the wall mounted power unit, and starts producing continuously varying electric flux that induces a current in the secondary charging pad as well. This current is then processed and the charge is saved in the car's batteries through an on-board controller.

Source: Automotive News and Autoblog