Wireless charging is essential if we want EV infrastructure to improve

Forget plugging in, just stop on a pad and charge your car

Wireless charging in Gothenburg
(Image credit: InductEV)
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How much easier would charging your electric car be if you didn't have to plug it in? Wireless charging has taken off in the phone market but a scaled-up version for electric cars that has been trialling in Gothenburg for the last three years proves it could work.

According to WhichEV, the project, which started in 2022, is now expanding from its fleet of 20 Volvo XC40 Recharge taxis. The four in-ground chargers currently provide 75kW charging for the taxis, which has been enough to keep the taxis topped up at all times. Crucially, they have had 100% uptime, which, as any EV driver will know, is a rarity for any DC charger.

So could in-ground wireless chargers really work for a wider rollout? And would it solve the current charging woes of electric vehicles? I really think it could, if there were the investment to do it.

Volvo wireless charging trial

(Image credit: Volvo)

The beauty of these charging pads is that they take up considerably less room than most conventional EV chargers. The spaces set aside for EVs to charge are giant, whereas with a charging pad, it could be the same size as a regular parking spot.

Imagine a complete row in a parking lot that is all wireless chargers. You just park up and let your EV charge while you shop or work, without worrying about connecting up. It could work for on-street parking too, with pads built into the tarmac of certain parking spaces – no need to find the magic lamppost with the charging port in it.

There are, of course, still potential issues. Currently, these charging pads are slower than DC fast chargers, and they require specially adapted electric cars to be able to use them. There's also a concern about how much power is wasted in the wireless transfer.

All of these are issues that can be solved, though. The biggest catalyst for EV technology right now is coming from the Formula E race series. Perhaps if this series adapted a form of wireless charging, we could see the technology progress quicker and find its way back into consumer cars faster and more efficiently.

Mat Gallagher
Mat Gallagher

As T3's Editor-in-Chief, Mat Gallagher has his finger on the pulse for the latest advances in technology. He has written about technology since 2003 and after stints in Beijing, Hong Kong and Chicago is now based in the UK. He’s a true lover of gadgets, but especially anything that involves cameras, Apple, electric cars, musical instruments or travel.

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