Wireless EV Charging Leaders Join Forces To Chase Gasmobiles From Road

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Wireless EV charging has been percolating below the surface of the R&D field for years, promising a hands-free charging experience for drivers everywhere as long as their car is electric. So, how long is this going to take before scale-up to mass market? Not much longer, if two leaders in the wireless charging space have their say.

Collaboration Brewing For Wireless EV Charging Scale-Up

Wireless EV charging has been on the CleanTechnica radar forever, at least that’s how it feels. When it finally happens, it will be another headache for petroleum stakeholders. The benefits of ditching the charging cable underscore yet another advantage of electric vehicles over gas-fueled conveyances. Drivers save some time if they don’t have to fuss with a charging cable, and it’s an extra convenience in nasty weather or other inhibiting conditions (see more wireless charging background here).

Then there’s the extra-added convenience of in-road charging, which enables drivers to recharge while on the move. We’ll get to that in a minute, but first let’s see what industry leaders are up to.

On November 26, the startups InductEV of the US and ENRX of Norway announced a new collaboration aimed at pushing the global wireless charging industry to the next level.

In a press statement, the two companies explained that they signed a Memorandum of Understanding to organize technical standards and to ensure compatibility across the wireless EV charging ecosystem worldwide.

The motivation for the MOU appears to be noise from the robotaxi field, which is fixing on a lower-level charge. “InductEV and ENRX are focused on a standard at power levels several times higher than the robotaxi system, essential for eliminating range anxiety that has impeded the growth of electric vehicles,” the two companies explain.

Wireless EV Charging & User Choice

If you’re thinking the robotaxi in question is Tesla’s newly unveiled Cybercab, run right out and buy yourself a cigar. “The emergence of wireless inductive charging was given a boost when electric passenger car leader Tesla announced the autonomous robotaxi, which operates with a low power wireless charging system,” the two companies note.

Hmmm…”Operates” is a bit of an overreach at this time. “Designed to operate with a low power wireless charging system” would be a more accurate assessment of the state of affairs over at the Tesla Cybercab shop. They have yet to stage a public demonstration of the technology. Nevertheless, production is reportedly scheduled to begin in 2026 so keep an eye out for that.

Meanwhile, InductEV and ENRX seem to anticipate that Tesla has jumped the gun and is poised to set the standard for the autonomous robotaxi space globally, so they better get cracking if they don’t want to lose their A-list status in other vehicle sectors.

“Through this first-of-its-kind collaboration, the two companies expect to provide users of the technology with expanded market access while contributing to an open ecosystem that drives innovation and supports user choice,” the two companies emphasize, adding that they are seek to speed up the pace of scale-up (emphasis added).

What Will This New Collaboration Do?

The MOU covers a lot of territory, but it can be boiled down into three categories.

First, the companies pledge to support the J2954 wireless EV charging standard, which comes under the wing of the global standard-setting organization SAE. That’s a must-have because the J2954 standard is compatible with the J1772 standard for plug-in light duty vehicles on charging levels 1, 2, and 3. SAE adds that the cross-technology consistency also enables EV owners to continue charging up at home with a conventional charger, as most do.

If you’re wondering about bi-directional charging, that’s a good question. “SAE J2954 addresses unidirectional charging, from grid to vehicle; bidirectional energy transfer may be evaluated for a future standard,” SAE explains.

Also not ready for prime time are flush-mounted charging stations and road-embedded “dynamic” charging stations. These are reserved for later discussion.

Wireless EV Charging To Be Just Like A USB

In the second main feature of the MOU, the companies agree to achieve a mutually compatible platform, with the goal of seamless interoperability over “diverse platforms and configurations within the EV market.”

The third part involves lobbying the industry and regulators to agree on a universal standard, “to ensure that wireless charging solutions are accessible, reliable, and compatible.”

As a US company, InductEV is well aware of the bumps. along the road to mass electrification when one company dominates both the vehicle manufacturing and the charging station spaces. Wireless charging systems have to be installed by the manufacturer, just like a regular charging port. Standardization would provide InductEV and ENRX (which focuses on buses and other heavy-duty use cases) with the widest possible market for their wares.

Here Comes Dynamic Wireless EV Charging

Another aspect of the EV advantage is the ability to install public EV charging stations at retail shops and other locations that could never host a gas pump. For property owners concerned about aesthetic appearances, wireless charging offers less clutter than conventional chargers.

The big fish, though, is the ability to charge up your car while driving down the road. ENRX is among those exploring that territory in the US, with a pilot-scale wireless EV charging system in development for a 1.2 kilometer stretch of Lake/Orange Expressway State Road 516 in Orlando, Florida.

InductEV also notes that dynamic charging is “the best solution in the electric vehicle industry for the many current challenges in the EV charging space.”

Speaking of user choice, another company to watch in the dynamic charging space is the Israeli startup Electreon. They floated across the CleanTechnica radar back in 2022, when they were developing plans to introduce wireless EV charging for electric buses on Germany’s famous Autobahn. The company is also piloting the technology in Sweden and the US state of Michigan, which has already credited itself with being the first state to host a charge-on-the-go roadway.

In the latest development, earlier this month Electreon announced a new partnership with Michigan and the electric truck firm Xos, focusing on dynamic charging for electric delivery vehicles. Stationary wireless charging is also part of the plan, leveraging a UPS facility in Detroit.

The project aims to show that wireless EV charging has the potential to lower the total cost of ownership for commercial fleet trucks, using an Xos step van as a platform.

Xos company covers truck classes 5-8, so there is a lot more ground to cover if the step van project works out.

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Image: The wireless EV charging industry is scaling up, including both stationary and road embedded systems that enable drivers to recharge in motion (courtesy of ENRX).