Jaguar offers high-powered wireless charging for taxi networks

The Driven

Jaguar will offer rapid wireless charging for taxi services in a partnership with the City of Oslo that will use the company’s all-electric I-PACE model in a world leading trial.

The wireless charging system will help keep the all-electric taxis on the road for longer, with charging stations installed at common pick-up and drop-off locations, that are able to deliver 50 to 75kW of charging capacity.

It will see the electric taxis receive multiple charging top ups throughout the day, reducing the need to stop for charges, and could feasibly allow a vehicle to remain available continuously throughout a shift.

Jaguar will supply the Norwegian capital’s taxi operator Cabonline with 25 of its all-electric SUV I-PACE models, that have been especially designed to use the wireless charging system developed by Momentum Dynamic.

The wireless charging system uses a transmitter embedded into the road at common stopping points, and generates an electromagnetic field that allows power to transferred to a receiver embedded in the bottom of a vehicle.

By adding the charging systems to be deployed in convenient locations, and without requiring the need for a vehicle to be physically connected to a charging station, the wireless systems allow for uninterrupted operation of the taxis.

Momentum Dynamics has previously partnered with public transport companies, including the Washington bus operator Link Transit, providing up to 300kW of rapid wireless charging in a similar arrangement.

Jaguar hopes that a successful trial of the wireless charging taxi system will help boost the deployment of all-electric vehicles into public transport infrastructure.

“We’re extremely proud of our track record in electrification and we’re committed to making electric vehicles easier to own and use. The taxi industry is the ideal test bed for wireless charging, and indeed for high-mileage electric mobility across the board,” Jaguar Land Rover chief executive professor sir Ralf Speth said.

“The inherently safe, energy efficient and high-powered wireless charging platform will prove critical for electric fleets, as the infrastructure is more effective than refuelling a conventional vehicle.”

To read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated news site The Driven, click here…