Wireless Charging for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

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Delphi Partnering with WiTricity to Develop Automatic Wireless Charging for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

30 September 2010

Wireless charging with WiTricity. Click to enlarge.

Delphi Automotive has reached an agreement with WiTricity Corp., a wireless energy transfer technology provider, to develop automatic wireless charging products for hybrid and electric vehicles. The collaboration between the two companies is intended to help establish a global infrastructure of safe and convenient charging options for consumer and commercial electric vehicles.
WiTricity is commercializing an approach to “mid-range” wireless charging—distances from a centimeter to several meters. (Earlier post.) Developed by a team led by MIT Professor Marin Soljačić, the company’s technology is based on sharply resonant strong coupling, and is able to transfer power efficiently even when the distances between the power source and capture device are several times the size of the devices themselves. WiTricity’s technology is a non-radiative mode of energy transfer, relying instead on the magnetic near field.