The future of urban mobility is connected, electric and wireless

Dr Anthony Thomson, vice-president of business development and marketing at Qualcomm Europe, explores how wireless charging could move electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to an inevitable tipping point

Air quality within our cities is being severely impacted by tailpipe emissions from vehicles powered by diesel and petrol. An ever growing population, coupled to increasing levels of urbanisation and increasing numbers of vehicles on the road, means the need to reduce emissions from urban mobility is becoming ever more critical.

One barrier to mass uptake of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EV/PHEV) is the need to constantly plug in to recharge; wireless EV charging (WEVC) technology offers a convenient and easy-to-use method to recharge by automating charging. 

Charging wirelessly is hassle free for the driver. The only requirement is that they park within 150mm of the pad (in both longitudinal and lateral directions). That is achievable by any reasonably competent driver, but with SUVs the driver’s view of the ground can be obscured some distance out. Hence car companies are asking for guidance systems to help drivers to park directly over the pad.

Safety is paramount while replenishing energy stored in all types of vehicles. The best Foreign Object Detection and Living Object Protection systems are reliable – including minimising false alarms and missed detections – and preserve the efficacy of Inductive Power Transfer technologies.

Car companies see wireless charging as a way of differentiating themselves – the first EV manufacturer to offer WEVC, likely to be in the next three years, will earn a lot of kudos.

Download the WiseHarbor webinar and papers covering Qualcomm Halo WEVC technology in more detail here.