Volvo conducts wireless EV charging trial in Sweden

MANILA: Volvo Cars is exploring the potential for future electric cars by integrating and testing out a new wireless charging technology in a live urban setting with selected partners.

Cabonline, the largest taxi operator in the Nordic region, will deploy a small fleet of fully electric Volvo XC40 Recharge cars as taxis for three years, charging them wirelessly at stations in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The wireless charging trial is one of many initiatives mentioned in Gothenburg Green City Zone, a strategic plan that uses selected regions of the city as living testbeds for the development of sustainable technologies.

In a statement, Volvo Cars Research and Development Head Mats Moberg said, “Gothenburg Green City Zone lets us try exciting new technologies in a real environment and evaluate them over time for a potential future broader introduction. Testing new charging technologies together with selected partners is a good way to evaluate alternative charging options for our future cars.”

Momentum Dynamics, a renowned manufacturer of wireless electric charging solutions, provided the charging stations used in the test. When a compatible vehicle parks over a charging pad installed on the street, the charging begins automatically, allowing drivers to charge without having to get out of their vehicle.

The charging station transmits energy to the charging pad, which is collected by the car's receiver unit. Volvo Cars will use its 360-degree camera system to easily position the car on the charging pad. The wireless charging power for the fully electric XC40 Recharge cars will be more than 40kW, allowing charging speeds to be four times faster than a wired 11kW AC charger and almost as fast as a wired 50kW DC fast charger.

The Volvo cars will be driven for over 12 hours per day and 100,000 kilometers per year, making this the first durability test of fully electric Volvo vehicles in a commercial setting.

The company is also working with its Swedish retailers, Volvo Bil and Volvo Car Sörred, for this wireless charging project. Other partners include Swedish energy provider Vattenfall and its charging network InCharge, the city energy supplier Göteborg Energi, and municipal economic development agency Business Region Gothenburg.

Last year, Volvo Cars supported the launch of the Gothenburg Green City Zone program. This initiative targets to achieve emission-free transport by 2030. By using a real city as a trial ground, the company will be able to fast-track the development of technology and services in the areas of electricity, shared mobility, autonomous driving, connectivity, and safety.

Photos from Volvo Cars

Also read: Volvo sales slide by 17.2% in Feb.