While there are technologies being introduced to make batteries better, Qualcomm is pushing itself ahead by working on a technology that doesn’t need you to stop your car to charge it. The charging should happen when you are driving, and Qualcomm just showed off a technology called dynamic electric vehicle charging (DEVC) to showcase the ability to do that.
Based on the Qualcomm Halo wireless electric vehicle charging technology (WEVC), Qualcomm Technologies designed and built a wireless DEVC system capable of charging an electric vehicle (EV) dynamically at up to 20 kilowatts at highway speeds. Qualcomm Technologies also demonstrated simultaneous charging, in which two vehicles on the same track can charge dynamically at the same time. The vehicles can pick up charge in both directions along the track, and in reverse, further showcasing how the Qualcomm Halo DEVC system has been designed to support real-world implementation of dynamic charging.
The initial test had a 100-meter track set by VEDECOM and while Qualcomm and VEDECOM worked together in integrating the source part of the track, VEDECOM and Renault worked together in integrating the receiving part onto two vehicles that were used for the test. Now, the system will be handed to VEDECOM for several tests that have to be done on a larger scale, and to replicate practical scenarios including vehicle identification, authorization, agreement of power level between the track and vehicle, and the speed and alignment of the vehicle along the track.
The video that Qualcomm put up for the public shows how, if this system works, will help you call a car using your smartphone, pick you up, and then drop you at the destination autonomously.
The track for testing was set up at Versailles near Paris, and Vedecom, the company from France tested it under the FABRIC project (a €9 million project). The project began in January 2014 and will continue through December 2017, and is being undertaken by a consortium of 25 organizations from nine European countries, including automotive manufacturers, suppliers, service providers and research organizations from automotive, road and energy infrastructure domains.
“Our engineers and management have fully supported this project since the very beginning as it aligns perfectly with our focus on EVs, charging systems and mobility services,” says Luc Marbach, chief executive officer, VEDECOM. “We are a public-private partnership focused on pre-competitive research. The installation of one of the world’s first DEVC test platforms has provided us with a unique test facility and we look forward to expanding our expertise with the future testing.”
Honda is separately testing a system that enables dynamic charging with a charging power of 180 kW while driving at a speed of 155 kmph.
Source: Qualcomm
