Wireless rechargeable electric cars?

Wirelessly rechargeable electric cars, via electromagnetic induction? Of course! It seems so obvious! However, when faced with reality, we realize that behind this brilliant idea lie some troubling limitations. Wireless induction or electricity Remember that wireless TV we told you about before? This technology was largely developed by the company

Witricity

and guess what? This same company is now exploring how to apply it to the automotive sector. But here’s the thing: there’s quite a difference between a television and a car battery. Parking spaces as chargers Anyway, let’s stay positive and take a closer look at this project, being developed in partnership with

Delphi

, the renowned automotive supplier. The idea is to equip parking spaces with transmitters that allow for inductive charging of car batteries. Regarding the system itself, the two partners announce that it is ready. As proof, they claim it can recharge an electric car battery at least as quickly as with a wired connection. This would be every driver’s dream system: no more cables to plug in, no wasted time, a “2-in-1” payment at the parking meter (parking + electricity)… So what are the obstacles? The first concern would likely come from municipalities, as the cost of purchasing and installing this infrastructure for the general public and car rental companies would still be very high. At the same time, automakers would need to harmonize their batteries and charging systems, which is far from a done deal. But Witricity has announced it is working on a “ready-to-install” system that could easily be implemented on cars by manufacturers in their factories, or even as a retrofit. To be continued…