Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has announced a new three-way partnership with the intent to build an all-new electric vehicle charging system. Combining their powers with the manufacturer will be WiTricity Corporation and IHI Corporation with the ultimate goal being to make life easier for EV owners and operators. In order to do this, work is being conducted on a wireless charging system that will be compatible with already existing electrical grids. On top of that challenge, the three companies want the chargers to be ready to go and use “right out of the box.”
“We believe that user friendly wireless charging will contribute to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles — an important step forward for 21st century society,” said Mr. Kazuaki Kama, IHI’s President and CEO. ” Working together with Mitsubishi Motors and WiTricity, leaders in electric vehicles and wireless technology, we aim to become a leading world-wide supplier of wireless charging stations for public, commercial, and residential parking environments.”
The idea behind the wireless charging system is it will be able to “refill” the EV’s battery storage while parked without any initiation by the driver. Using an already developed magnetic resonance wireless charging system from WiTricity as the basis, future EVs should be able to draw energy from pre-existing sources under or on the ground. The ability to deliver up to 3.3 kilowatts of power between a distance of about eight inches. Currently, the three companies have a three-step process to make this system ready for use:
- Finding the most appropriate and easiest ways of incorporating wireless charging systems into EV charging infrastructure
- Clarifying legal matters regarding the new technology and create proposals for rules governing the use of such systems
- Testing of wireless charging systems with EVs fitted with power charging receptors internally
Source: Mitsubishi
