The UK has taken a step forward towards the deployment of wireless charging for electric vehicles with Qualcomm Incorporated, the California-based global mobile and wireless technology leader, investing in Chargemaster Plc, the UK’s largest manufacturer and operator of electric vehicle charging points.
The new investment will see the integration of Qualcomm Halo™ WEVC technology into the current UK charging infrastructure.
The Qualcomm Halo™ WEVC technology utilises resonant magnetic induction to transfer energy from a ground-based pad to a pad integrated into the vehicle. The base pad and vehicle pad are coupled magnetically and energy is transferred wirelessly into the vehicle and used to charge the vehicle’s batteries. The technology is designed to allow easy alignment when parking and would do away with the need for charging cables.
Chargemaster, who have manufactured over 27,000 charging points and operate the POLAR public charging network, plans to roll-out the charging pads at domestic, workplace and public locations across the UK. What’s more, the company says it has already installed more than 10,000 ‘wireless ready’ public and workplace charging points in the UK and Europe, which can be easily adapted to include the new WEVC systems.
Car manufacturers are looking to incorporate wireless charging into their electric and plug in hybrid cars as standard, so hopefully electric car buyers will be able to take advantage of this technology in the near future.
David Martell, CEO of Chargemaster said, “We have been working with Qualcomm for several years now and this investment is a natural progression. We are very excited about helping to bring the next major evolution in electric motoring to the market, making the electric driving experience even more enjoyable and practical for daily use.”
Dr Anthony Thomson, Vice President of Business Development & Marketing, Qualcomm Europe, said, “Qualcomm Halo WEVC is viewed as the future of EV charging by many EV manufacturers. Chargemaster is a leader in the deployment of charging infrastructure and by making this investment we are taking another step towards deployment of a convenient and easy to use WEVC network. The goal being to improve the user experience and drive the uptake of electric vehicles.”
Chargemaster
