Park it and charge it: Wireless electric car charging is coming

By Bruce Brown Published April 6, 2016

The Department of Energy Oak Ridge National Labs (ORNL) is making progress with wireless car charging. Electric-powered cars are high on our radar with the Tesla 3 pre-order frenzy, but when it’s finally built and shipped, it will still need to plugged in somewhere to recharge. Finding chargers and plugging in to charge for the drive home is still a question for anyone who considers going electric.

ORNL has demonstrated a 20-kilowatt wireless charging system with 90 percent efficiency at three times the rate of most plug-in systems used today. Toyota, Cisco Systems, Evatran, and Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research all contributed to the technology demonstration.

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The fact that it charges three times faster than home chargers is significant, but the next goal of the ORNL joint project is a 50-kilowatt wireless charging capability. The higher power will equal most quick-charging stations and also be powerful enough to charge trucks and other larger vehicles.

Convenience and simplicity are keys to developing a wireless system. Honestly, it needs to be as simple as driving to a charging location without having to leave your car. However, because the power transmits through the air, safety is also a high priority. The magnetic fields used in this charging process are focused and shielded to ensure safety, according to the researchers.

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The ideal will be when we can charge our car batteries while we drive, but that another huge step. Charging in motion requires electrified streets and roadways, is a much greater financial commitment than stationary charging stations. The Tesla 3 sales orders and continued popularity of Toyota Prius hybrids demonstrates demand, but the majority of us will still wait for convenience to improve and costs to go down.

Contributing Editor

Bruce Brown Contributing Editor As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…

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After being one of the early pioneers of EV charging in the 1990s, Costco abandoned the offering in 2012 in the U.S.
While opening just one station may seem like a timid move, the speed at which the station was installed -- just seven weeks -- could indicate big plans going forward.
Besides lightening-speed installation, Electric Era, the Seattle-based company making and installing the charging station, promises to offer “hyper-reliable, battery-backed fast charging technology in grid-constrained locations.”
Its stalls can deliver up to 200 kilowatts and come with built-in battery storage, allowing for lower electricity rates and the ability to remain operational even when power grids go down.
If that sounds like it could very well rival Tesla’s SuperCharger network, it’s no coincidence: Quincy Lee, its CEO, is a former SpaceX engineer.
Costco also seems confident enough in the company to have put its brand name on the EV-charging station. Last year, the wholesaler did open a pilot station in Denver, this time partnering with Electrify America, the largest charging network in the U.S. However, Costco did not put its brand name on it.
In an interview with Green Car Reports, Electric Era said it was still in talks with Costco about the opening of new locations. Last year, Costco said it was planning to install fast chargers at 20 locations, without providing further details. It has maintained EV-charging operations in Canada, the UK, Spain, and South Korea.
Meanwhile, the wholesaler’s U.S. EV-charging plans might very well resemble those of rival Walmart, which last year announced it was building its own EV fast-charging network in addition to the arrangements it already had with Electrify America.