I am soo excited you share this. Google is working on wireless charging for its already driverless cars, according to recent reports.
What is the point of having a self-driving car if you still have to get out to plug it in? That’s a good question, says Alphabet, Google’s parent company. Keeping in mind, it is testing wireless charging systems for its electric self-driving cars.
IEEE Spectrum revealed that Google’s parent company, Alphabet, filed documents at the US Federal Communication Commission that suggest Google is working towards plugless charging for its cars.
A year ago this month, the first wireless charging station was installed at Google’s Mountain View, Calif., campus by a start-up called HEVO. In July, another start-up named Momentum Dynamics installed a similar station at Google’s mysterious X location.
Google is also testing chargers produced by Momentum Dynamics at its Mountain View campus, as well as at the Castle Commerce Center in Atwater, Calif.
Currently, the wireless chargers are prototypes. In its FCC documents, HEVO states that when its charger has been successfully tested in the Alpha (prototype) form, the company will be able to move towards commercializing the product.
Both of the prototype chargers produced by HEVO and Momentum Dynamics employ resonant magnetic induction to transfer power from charger to receiver. HEVO’s chargers are shaped like large hockey pucks, and can be embedded in pavement. Self driving cars with wireless receivers would merely need to be parked over the chargers to power up.
Wireless charging is not an entirely new idea. It is available now for certain electric car models through a company called Plugless Power.
It has also been available for certain smartphone users for even longer. Most phones that have the ability to charge wirelessly must be placed on a charging mat, similar to the way driverless cars must be parked over their chargers.
Samsung, Sony, and Google all have produced wireless charging smartphones, yet although about 75 percent of consumers are aware of the ability to charge their devices wirelessly, only 16 percent take advantage of the fact.
Why might wireless charging be more popular for driverless cars?
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