The B2B platform for full-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: Industry News

Charging EV batteries using electromagnetic induction could halt customer reluctance to battery charging. Some EV stakeholders are now actively looking into new ways to overcome one of the major EV consumer behavioral drawbacks yet identified: range anxiety.

Japanese manufacturer Nissan is one of the carmakers actively working on developing an inductive charging system capable of transmitting power wirelessly over longer distances. Talks of plates being laid into the surface of given EV lanes on roads and motorways would also make it possible for EVs to charge while driving. 

Inductive charging

While traditional perception of charging entails plugging a lead into one’s vehicle, with inductive charging, coils are used to transmit power wirelessly over very short distances. The EV is placed on a conductive charging pad. The coils must be very close together although they do not make direct electrical contact. Once the contact points come in contact with the conductive surface of the charging pad, a small current moves through the coils of the charging pad, creating a magnetic field which is gathered by the contact points of the adapter and converted into energy. The energy is transferred to the EV's battery as if the device were connected to a wall socket with its wired adapter.

David Bott, Director of innovation programmes at the Technology Strategy Board, stressed: "If you look at handheld gadgets, inductive charging is a proven technology - the fundamental science says that it will work. I suspect you'll end up plugging electric cars in at night for efficiency, and by day using inductive for on-the-go recharging."

Going beyond wireless bays

Nissan is also studying the market potential for plates being laid into dedicated EV lanes on roads and motorways. These plates would enable batteries to charge while the car is driving and avoid any potential range anxiety. However Nissan admits that it is still very early days and that the cost and infrastructure are still not clear.

Regarding the charging lanes, Bott explained to UK newspaper, the Guardian: "It's scientifically feasible, but it's whether it's scalable and feasible is another matter."

The need to find ways to make charging more user-friendly and less time consuming was recently confirmed by a consumer research carried out by Nissan, which showed that 61% of potential EV buyers were most worried about the inconvenience of charging.

With this in mind, more and more EV stakeholders are developing fast-charging facilities, which could ease the burden of home charging and be used while EV drivers do their shopping, park… This new technology could also potentially answer manifold questions regarding plug standardisation.