Kia Develops Wireless Charging System for EVs

Kia has developed a fast-charging wireless power transfer system that looks to eliminate the need of plugs for electric vehicle charging.

by Staff

April 17, 2018

1 min to read

Kia developed a fast-charging wireless power transfer system that looks to eliminate the need for plugs in electric vehicle charging.

The system was tested on a fleet of Kia Soul EVs, and was developed as part of a project with collaboration from the Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center, Inc., Mojo Mobility, Inc., and the U.S. Department of Energy, according to the automaker. The system is capable of transferring more than 10kW to a vehicle for fast charging with up to 85% efficiency.

The system works by using an electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two coils—a transmitter on the ground and a receiver on the bottom of the vehicle, according to the automaker. The driver parks the car above the transmitter to begin charging and then energy is sent through an inductive coupling to an electrical device, which uses that energy to charge the electric vehicles’ battery.

The Soul EVs were tested in real-world applications for durability, safety, and performance, said Kia. There is no current plan to offer the wireless charging system on production vehicles for sale to consumers.

Topics:Wireless EV Charging Battery-Electric Vehicles Kia Soul EV Kia EV Charging Green Fleet

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