By Jesse Berst

 

One of the things I appreciate about Qualcomm is its willingness to invest in technologies that may not pay off for years or even decades. When Qualcomm's Senior Director of Technology Mark Klerer first told me of his company's Halo wireless charging technology, I confess I thought it might well be decades before it showed up in real applications.

I was wrong. Qualcomm has gathered a team of partners for a field trial of wireless electric car charging in London, according to EE Times. The partners include Renault, Delta Motorsport, Addison Lee (the UK's largest minicab company) and Chargemaster (a provider of EV charging infrastructure).

 

Halo uses inductive charging between a transmitting pad on the ground and a receiving pad on the underside of the vehicle (see photo nearby). It is based on 20 years of research at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Some scientists even believe it will be possible to build wireless charging into roadways, so vehicles charge themselves as they roll along.

 

Klerer believes wireless charging could remove one of the barriers to EV adoption, eliminating the need to manually plug cars in. Center your car over the charging pad and it will automatically couple. He assures me that neither efficiency (which is roughly 90%) nor safety will stop the show... but I predict some consumer worries about safety when/if the idea goes mainstream.

More on EV charging…

Charging or changing: The question for China's electric vehicle market

Charging ahead: Moves by Schneider, ABB and Coulomb may help drive EV adoption

 

From the SGN Research Marketplace…

Business Strategy: Smart Charging of Electric Vehicles - Opportunities and Challenges: This IDC Energy Insights report provides an in-depth look at the opportunities and challenges of smart charging systems for plug-in electric vehicles. Learn more >>

 

Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com, the industry's oldest and largest smart grid site. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the U.S. and abroad, he also serves on advisory committees for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Institute for Electric Efficiency. He often provides strategic consulting to large corporations and venture-backed startups. He is a member of the advisory boards of GridGlo and Calico Energy Services.

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WiTricity

I here about another project - WiTricity. The interesting question is this projects uses the same technology? :-)

Yuriy - 08/02/2012 - 04:36

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