Electric Car: Stellantis Tests Wireless Charging

An electric car that can run without depleting its battery is possible with wireless charging currently being tested by Stellantis.

Although the network of charging stations is expanding significantly, the issue of charging an electric vehicle still remains a major barrier to purchase. To bypass this, some rely on removable batteries, while others are working on inductive charging systems.

Currently, Stellantis is focused on the second option. As part of a project coordinated by A35 Brebemi, a company owned by the global transport infrastructure manager Aleatica, the automotive giant is testing real-world dynamic inductive charging. The trials take place in Italy, on a track called “Arena del Futuro”. Slightly over a kilometer long, the track contains aluminum cables that store electrical energy. This energy is transmitted to the motor via a receiver mounted on the vehicle.

Stellantis convinced of the potential of the technology

According to Stellantis, tests have proven that the magnetic field poses no risk to drivers. They also demonstrated that the efficiency of the energy flow from the road to the vehicle was “comparable to the standard efficiency of fast charging stations”. Thus, a car could travel at high speed without using the electricity stored in the battery.

Promising in theory, inductive charging would be complex to implement if the industry decides to fully adopt it. Equipping the road network on a large scale would require massive and very costly construction. Nevertheless, Stellantis appears confident in its potential. “This technology generates interest for commercial development on a global scale due to the versatility of its dynamic and static inductive charging systems”, the group explains in its statement. Additionally, Stellantis believes that inductive charging could also be valuable for infrastructures such as ports, parking lots, and airports.

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