Renault to begin testing wireless charging in London

Renault, in conjunction with Qualcomm, has announced that it will be testing out wireless electric car charging technology in London this year

Renault will begin testing a new wireless charging system that powers electric cars, such as the Renault Twizy, on London roads.

Known as inductive charging, the system uses a rubber mat placed on roads to wirelessly deliver power to motors - even while they're moving.

The system is the brainchild of Qualcomm, which specialises in manufacturing wireless telecommunications equipment and other technologies.

“We are very excited about the prospects of working with Renault, a global leader in electric vehicles and an innovator in the growing low carbon vehicle market,” said Anthony Thomson, vice president of business development and marketing at Qualcomm.

“Renault's participation in the WEVC London trial aligns with Qualcomm's drive to make charging of electric vehicles simple and effortless.”

Qualcomm announced the London trial last year, and has even won backing from several government agencies and private sector enterprises.

Powering up

Inductive charging mats have already been rolled out to some factories and is used to power fork-lift-type trucks while they're being operated.

Jacques Hebrard, vice president of Energy and Environment Advanced Projects director at Renault, said: “Our intended participation in the WEVC London trial with Qualcomm complements Renault's European research and development project involving 10 partners to demonstrate wireless inductive charging of electric vehicles in a public environment with a high level of performance and safety.”

“The deployment of wireless inductive charging requires inter-operability between cars and ground systems within common European and, hopefully, worldwide standards.”