Wouldn’t it be fantastic if your EV charging customers had access to wireless EV charging? If they could charge their cars as easily as they charge their phones, it would make electric vehicle ownership a lot more attractive for the American public.
It’s not a dream. Wireless EV charging has already arrived across the Atlantic, as a 2022 Euro News article announced. At that time, wireless electric vehicle charging hadn’t crossed into the Americas.
In less than a year, the first wireless EV charging road in the US opened up for test drives, as a December 2023 Time article reported. In fact, two of the magazine’s reporters, writer Micheline Maynard and videographer Lisa Nho, sat in the passenger seats for one of those drives, documenting every detail of the experience.
Easy-peasy. As Maynard put it, “As the [test drive] van traveled over the [charging] circles…a display on the computer screen showed that its battery was gaining strength.”
No plugs. No adapters. Just a leisurely drive down a Detroit street, gaining charge with every turn of the wheels.
It’s likely coming soon to a stretch of highway near you. Here’s all the information you need to know to harness this emerging technology and deliver top-notch charging services to your customers.
How Does Wireless Charging Work?
The Detroit wireless charging road utilizes a large-scale version of a technology similar to the one that charges your cellphone or other wireless devices. Called “inductive coupling,” the Electreon wireless system installs copper charging coils underneath the pavement.
When electric vehicles fitted with wireless receivers come near the coils, energy flows into a magnetic field and into the vehicles’ batteries. Dots indicate where the coils lie in case the system needs repair.
The coils only activate in the presence of a receiver. Since only specially fitted EVs have receivers, the road itself is safe for people, pets, and receiverless cars to travel on, provided they don’t step into oncoming traffic. Cars with receivers can still charge normally at standard EV charging stations, so wireless charging capability only enhances an EV’s charging options.
How Fast and Efficient Will Wide-Scale Wireless EV Charging Be?
While still not widely available in the US, wireless charging for EVs is as efficient as charging with a plug. For example, most EV plug-in chargers have widely varying efficiency rates, usually between 85%-95%.
However, according to leading wireless EV charging provider WiTricity, today’s top wireless chargers achieve 90%-93% efficiency. Most wireless chargers can deliver up to 20 kW of charging power, essentially a Level 2 charging speed.
Wireless charging will work even in snowy or icy weather. That capability makes it an excellent choice for roads in the northern part of the US, where an EV’s shortened range in the winter can pose a significant problem. At scale, roads with embedded wireless charging facilities will be a welcome change for heavy-duty electric fleets. Not having to stop for a charge over long stretches of highway could prove a game-changer for the commercial vehicle industry.
The Detroit project isn’t the only US wireless charging in the works. Florida has already begun work on a stretch of a new toll road, State Road 516.
This project takes efficiency a step further, using solar panels to generate power for the EVs that will travel down its 5-mile length. It’s no wonder that tech prognosticators project that the global EV wireless charging market will soar from its current $30.3 million to $2.11 billion by 2034.
Even the prestigious Oak Ridge National Laboratory has jumped into the wireless charging development fray. Researchers at the federally funded lab have increased the output of its experimental wireless charging project to 100 kW. If real-life applications can repeat these results on America’s roads, wireless charging could fully charge a car at the same speed as DC fast chargers.
Will Wireless Home EV Charging Be Possible?
As EnergySage’s Tim Stevens points out, rolling down a specially prepared road won’t be your only option in wireless charging. With static wireless charging, you can charge your vehicle as it sits in a parking lot or your garage.
Some commercial fleets have already adopted static charging to charge their vehicles overnight in the fleet garage. Others, such as the UK’s Milton Keynes Borough, use an innovative form of static charging while their buses park at various stops across town to pick up or let off passengers or during breaks. The borough equipped each stop with charging plates to allow the buses to charge as they sit idle.
Soon, homeowners and fleet managers will be able to install similar plates in their garages. As the technology emerges into the US mainstream, larger cities across America are likely to adopt the UK model to charge their public transportation fleets. After all, charging on the go enables the buses to run all day and night.
Apartment complexes, shopping centers, and hotels might even opt to swap out their plug-in chargers for static wireless models to make charging more convenient for their customers and tenants. As wireless charging technology improves — especially if the fast-charging Oak Ridge project goes mainstream — commercial EV charging stations could augment their DC fast chargers with several static chargers.
What Advantages Will Wireless EV Charging Bring?
Convenience is likely the most significant advantage. Being able to power up a car by simply parking it levels the playing field between EVs and gas-powered vehicles.
Convenient and Fast
After all, drivers of internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered vehicles can’t simply park their cars in a parking spot at a grocery store and expect to have a fueled-up car when they return.
When wireless EV charging goes mainstream, EV drivers can do just that. That’s big.
Think about it. With an ICE-powered car, one has to drive to the store’s gas pumps — if they even have them.
Then, they must take out a dusty nozzle, pump their gas, and hope that the smell of gasoline doesn’t permeate their hands after they finish fueling their vehicle. Then, they need to drive to the parking lot, park their cars, and walk into the store, hoping that the lingering gasoline smell on their hands doesn’t transfer to the freshly baked rolls they pluck out of the bin.
Better for the Battery
But there’s another advantage, albeit a more subtle one. Since wireless charging usually happens “in small doses,” as the EnergySage article cited earlier puts it, it keeps a car’s battery within the sweet spot of charging range — 20-80% — that gives an EV battery a longer life.
Lower Accident Risk
EV charging cables can become damaged over time, particularly in regions with weather extremes. Damaged cables, unfortunately, can prove hazardous to both the vehicle and its owner. Having no wires vulnerable to damage reduces the risk considerably.
Are There Retrofit Options for EVs Without Inductive Charging Connectors?
Fortunately, there are options, as EV enthusiast and Motorwatt contributor Alex Roy points out. In fact, Roy himself helped a friend install a receiver pad on a 2021 EV.
The installation was simple, at least for an expert like Roy. We would, however, recommend that home mechanics consult a trained EV mechanic should they want a similar retrofit for their cars.
As Roy puts it, installation “involved mounting a receiver pad to the underside of the vehicle and connecting it to the vehicle’s existing charging system.” Although, as Roy advises, the retrofit isn’t quite as “elegant” as cars with factory-installed receivers, it “works surprisingly well.”
As wireless charging enters the market mainstream, this option should prove to be a savvy investment for current EV owners who want the convenience and increased battery life that wireless charging offers. In addition, they can take advantage of the small but growing home wireless EV charging companies springing up around the country.
What Companies Are Leading the Charge Toward Wireless?
Several companies have emerged as major players in the EV wireless charging industry. Here are some of the manufacturers who have taken the lead in the race in wireless innovation:
WiTricity
Founded in 2007 in Massachusetts as an MIT spinoff, WiTricity specializes in supplying wireless electricity to several applications, including EVs, low-speed vehicles, and golf carts. As Roy’s article mentions, the company pioneered wireless charging with its “patented high-resonance technology.”
Besides wireless charging solutions, WiTricity provides automotive solutions, engineering services, licensing, and support. In addition to its presence in the United States, the company also has a network of subsidiaries and distributors in Europe, China, Japan, and South Korea.
Electreon
Israeli charging company Electreon develops and implements wireless electric road systems (ERS). Its intelligent road technology has emerged as a dynamic wireless electric system for heavy-duty transportation, reducing the need for heavy batteries in the massive vehicles.
Since its founding, Electreon has focused on developing smart road technology, wireless energy, public transit, electric vehicles, e-mobility, and autonomous vehicles. They are presently conducting pilot projects on dynamic wireless charging in Israel, Italy, and Germany, among other locations.
Electreon made its US debut with the Detroit wireless road we featured at the beginning of this post. Its 90% efficiency rating while charging vehicles traveling up to 80 kilometers per hour makes it a good choice for cities and suburbs. That’s especially true in areas with speed limits at or under 50 miles per hour.
HEVO
US-based HEVO develops static EV wireless charging solutions. Charging pads installed in garages and parking lots enable EV drivers to park their cars and walk away, knowing that their vehicles will have adequate fuel to get to their next stop.
The company’s wireless-ready app provides directions to nearby charging stations, monitors and evaluates charging statistics and bill payment status, and indicates the charging stations’ availability.
Headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, HEVO also maintains offices in Silicon Valley, California, and Amsterdam, Netherlands. It caters to both residential and commercial markets.
Plugless Power
Another US EV charging company, Plugless Power™ was the first company to provide 1 million charge hours to its customers. It led the movement toward home wireless charging, providing homeowners with the first 3.3 kW and 7.2 kW wireless charging stations for home use.
The company also provided the first wireless charging station for Tesla’s Model S cars. In Europe, its wireless charging solution for driverless shuttlebuses debuted as the first on the continent.
It manufactures wireless DC fast chargers, making it a leading choice for commercial stations. However, it also sells wireless chargers for residential use.
WAVE Charging
Salt Lake City-based WAVE develops and manufactures wireless charging systems for electric buses. These systems have up to 500 kW of charging capacity.
The company’s Salt Lake City depot can charge multiple vehicles automatically without manual intervention. The company specializes in wireless power transfer, inductive power, and wireless charging for heavy-duty vehicles. Ideanomics acquired the company in 2021, but it still maintains its unique identity with a separate website.
InductEV
Founded in 2009 in Pennsylvania as Momentum Wireless Power, InductEV develops high-power wireless charging solutions for electric vehicles. Their magnetic induction systems allow all-weather charging for EV batteries with fully automatic operations.
Their solutions provide wireless charging services to fleet vehicles, such as city buses, commercial vehicles, ports, auto fleets, and industrial vehicles.
Continental AG
Continental AG manufactures safe, efficient, wireless solutions for electric vehicles worldwide. The company focuses on charging technology for future mobility and wireless EV charging (including automated EV wireless charging for driverless cars).
Continental AG has several subsidiaries and a strong distribution network, giving it a significant presence across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Daihen Corporation
With 10 sales offices and eight production facilities worldwide, Japan-based Daihen produces transformers, solar inverters, power distribution equipment, welding machines, cutting machines, industrial robots, and wireless power transmission systems for automated guided vehicles (AGVs).
ELIX Wireless
ELIX Wireless is a privately held Canadian company founded in 2013 to develop wireless power transfer technologies. It uses magneto-dynamic coupling to deliver safe and sufficient power for applications like warehouse and material handling robots and AGVs.
ELIX Wireless also manufactures wireless charging solutions for buses and trucks, passenger cars, mining equipment, anti-idling, material handling, and industrial, medical, and subsea applications.
Mojo Mobility
Established in 2005, California’s Mojo Mobility provides applications such as mobile charging, wearable technology, automotive infrastructure, and wireless EV charging. Its innovative products include position-free wireless charging technology, multi-device integration, and safe charging technology.
What Does the Future Hold for Wireless Charging in the US?
Although wireless EV charging has chiseled out a small foothold in the US commercial fleet market, it’s not yet on par with Europe and Asia in many areas. American businesses and entrepreneurs are waiting for a reasonable volume of EVs equipped for wireless charging to arrive in US auto dealers’ showrooms.
There’s no lack of interest in wireless charging among American EV owners, though. When wireless charging provider WiTricity questioned 1,000 current and prospective EV owners in the US in a 2022 survey, they discovered that 96% of them expressed an interest in EVs equipped for wireless charging.
Fast forward to 2023, when Tesla bought wireless charging startup Wiferion. Although the company sold the startup to power electronic supplier PULS in only a few weeks after acquiring it, it retained its engineering team.
In late 2024, Tesla unveiled the wireless charging pad it is working on for its Robotaxis. Earlier that year, it outfitted its Cybertruck line with inductive charging connectors, enabling Cybertruck owners to retrofit their cars for wireless charging pads.
Since Tesla plans to use its new wireless charging pads on the Robotaxi fleet, the company will likely expand that aspect of its development into its regular line of cars. If that happens, it could impact the EV charging industry for the better. Even more importantly, it could cause a massive change in the EV adoption rate nationwide.
Discover More Innovative Technologies at the EV Charging Summit & Expo
Wireless EV charging is only the tip of the technological iceberg in the booming EV charging industry. Keep up with all the latest developments in EV technology at the industry’s top event: the EV Charging Summit & Expo.
There, you’ll hear from — and network with — some of the foremost experts in the EV charging space. It’s an event you don’t want to miss. Register for your spot at the next Summit today!
