Toyota and component supplier Denso have signed an agreement with Israeli wireless EV charging specialist Electreon to develop a wireless charging solution for the electric vehicles of the Japanese car manufacturer. This includes integrating wireless charging in new vehicles, an aftermarket solution for existing cars, and a plan to standardize the technology.
Electreon specializes in wireless charging technology for EVs, commercial, and passenger vehicles, and offers both stationary and dynamic charging solutions with wireless charging coils under the road surface, with a trial road in Germany built late last year. Now, it has partnered with Toyota and Denso to implement this technology in the electric vehicles of the Japanese manufacturer.
New and current vehicles
The agreement’s specifics are unknown, with another announcement expected in the coming months. Still, Electreon has shared the bullet points of this collaboration: the development of an aftermarket wireless kit for current electric vehicles, integration of the wireless technology into new cars, collaboration to shape the standardization of wireless EV charging, and promotion of a pilot project.
This means that both new Toyota EVs and existing models will be able to use wireless charging, as evident by the proof of concept shown to Toyota by Electreon: a RAV4 PHEV charging along the wireless road built near the Electreon HQ in Beit Yanai, Israel. However, it remains to be seen what the plan will be for standardizing wireless charging tech.
The benefits of wireless charging for EVs include greater ease of use for drivers, who no longer have to worry about range anxiety and don’t need to lug around a charging cable. Still, Electreon also touts a better load distribution for the power grid and the cost and climate benefits of using smaller batteries in EVs.
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