Volvo Is Testing Wireless Charging Technology With New Fleet of XC40 Recharge EVs
Working with a taxi company in Sweden.
Volvo will soon be testing out wireless charging for its XC40 Recharge EV fleet in Gothenburg, Sweden in partnership with taxi company Cabonline.
Over the course of three years, Volvo will be using new wireless chargers in the Gothenburg Green City Zone that have been delivered by Momentum Dynamics, a firm specializing in the area. Compatible vehicles will simply have to park over a charging pad that’s been embedded in the street and the charging will begin automatically, sending energy through the pad to a receiver unit in the car. To help drivers align with the pad, the XC40 Recharge fleet will also be equipped with 360-degree cameras. Volvo says that the charging pads can deliver a flow of 40kW, making it four times faster than a wired 11kW AC charger and almost as fast as a wired 50kW DC fast charger.
“Gothenburg Green City Zone lets us try exciting new technologies in a real environment and evaluate them over time for a potential future broader introduction,” said Mats Moberg, Volvo’s head of research and development. “Testing new charging technologies together with selected partners is a good way to evaluate alternative charging options for our future cars.”
Elsewhere in the automotive world, take a closer look at the Volkswagen ID. Buzz electric van.
