Together with the car manufacturer Volvo and the taxi company Cabonline, Vattenfall is developing and testing the possibilities of inductive charging for battery-electric taxis in Gothenburg. The hardware provider Momentum Dynamics and the municipal energy supplier Göteborg Energi are also involved in the project to develop wireless charging technology.
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The project partners' approach is that vehicle charging starts immediately and automatically when a compatible taxi parks over a charging pad embedded in the road. The charging station sends energy through the charging pad, which is picked up by a receiver unit in the car. A vehicle identifier in the car sends an authorisation to Vattenfall.
Generating monthly bills automatically
The energy company then uses this to know exactly how much electricity has been charged to the respective vehicle. Vattenfall then uses this to create monthly bills. "During the test period, Vattenfall will ensure that the automatic payment solution Incharge, which is currently used for stationary charging solutions, works smoothly in the context of wireless charging," says Susanna Hurtig, Director of Electromobility Nordic at Vattenfall. "This provides an opportunity to develop our solution for future vehicle charging and payment alternatives. Being able to charge and pay virtually is an important step," she emphasises.
Durability tests for Volvo EVs
For taxis in particular, it is important that they are charged at every available opportunity. After all, the vehicles are usually on the road for more than 12 hours a day and drive more than 100,000 kilometres a year on average. There is no time to stand at the charging station for long periods in between. In addition, it is the first durability test of fully electric vehicles in a commercial usage scenario for the car manufacturer Volvo.
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The wireless charging initiative is part of the strategic Gothenburg Green City Zone project. This is the first in a series of different tests that will help the city become greener. (su/mfo)
