Genesis Testing Wireless Charging For EVs

Hyundai's Luxury arm, Genesis, has introduced a wireless charging scheme for its EVs in Korea. The trial will run from February to June 2023 and features a fleet of GV60 and Electrified GV70 cars. Genesis will deploy 23 wireless charging pads around Korea, including at its studios, and is hoping to assess the feasibility of the technology. It uses a 'power control station' and a 'base pad' which is placed on the ground, and the charging pad can output up to 11kW of power. Genesis will conduct the trial and assess its findings before developing a commercially-viable wireless charging system. 

Marc Choi, Head of Product at Genesis, stated that while the company intended to release a public product, it did not want to introduce a half-finished product into the market without first meeting government regulation standards. They also wanted to improve charging speeds which are currently maxed out at 11kW. Genesis is waiting for faster charging speeds before mass adoption of the technology.

Qualcomm's Halo technology, a scaled-up version of wireless charging used for high-end smartphones, is currently being tested on Formula E Safety Cars and Medical cars. Halo uses an app with intuitive graphics to align the charging pads for charging to begin once the ignition is switched off.

Wireless charging technology for electric cars works through resonant magnetic induction, which allows energy to transfer between a pad on the ground and another pad under the car, resulting in charging taking place at 3.3kW, 6.6kW, or 20kW speeds. 

Also Read: Genesis GV80 Coupe Concept Revealed In New York

Qualcomm licenses the technology, and it will likely be another 18 to 24 months before it enters the market via OEMs. BMW has already begun developing a wireless charging system for its plug-in hybrid models, which it intends to launch in July. The BMW system features a Groundpad and a Carpad, with the former placed on the ground beneath the vehicle, and the latter connecting to the car's electrical backbone. A charge rate of up to 3.2kW is possible, taking around 3.5 hours to fully charge a vehicle, with 85% efficiency between the pad and the car.

Qualcomm is currently developing wireless charging for moving vehicles as well as static charging. Genesis is hoping to use the trial to assess the feasibility of a commercially-viable wireless charging system for its EVs.

Picture credits TopGear