EV charging is about more than hardware
EV charging is not just about providing the hardware to plug your car into at night. While smart charging (and other demand management technologies) are starting to really gain traction, wireless charging is still at an early stage. But it has massive potential.
Summary: EV charging is not just about providing the hardware to plug your car into at night. Its as much a software challenge, in fact its likely that the software will become the key factor, with the hardware heading toward becoming a commodity.
Why this is important: Two areas that do not perhaps get the attention they deserve are smart charging solutions (software) and wireless charging. While smart charging (and other demand management technologies) are starting to really gain traction, wireless charging is still at an early stage. But it has massive potential. We highlighted its first application in a passenger car (the Genesis GV60) back in 2021. Now CleanTechnica is reporting its use in charging level 4 autonomous buses (10 passengers) in Zhengzhou, China.
The big theme: Investing in the infrastructure required to charge the growing number of EV’s should be a massive opportunity, potentially allowing investors to make a real difference to the transitions and earn a fair financial return. But what if the big opportunity isn't in at home EV chargers and/or fast chargers on motorways, but actually mid-sized, mid-speed chargers that can be used at workplaces and at travel and/or shopping destinations - integrated with battery storage and demand management tools! Or in chargers for buses and trucks/HGV's.
The details
Summary of a story from CleanTechnica
WiTricity (the Watertown, Massachusetts based company) partnered with YuTong Bus, the largest bus producer in China, to charge up YuTong’s autonomous electric buses. The buses are level 4 autonomous minibuses, going by the name Xiaoyu 2.0. They seat up to 10 people and have a full-charge driving range of about 150 km (93 miles). The wireless EV charging makes the trips more efficient and eliminates any need for bus drivers to get out and handle heavy cables. And that’s especially important for autonomous buses with no drivers! After all, if the buses are driverless, the charging needs to be as well.
