Volvo tests wireless charging future for XC40 Pure Recharge and other EVs

Swedish-Chinese brand Volvo will put a small fleet of its all-electric XC40 Pure Recharge compact SUVs into service in Sweden to test out wireless charging in a “live” environment.

Volvo says Cabonline, the largest taxi operator in the Nordic region, will use the XC40s in its fleet over from now until 2025 to determine the feasibility of charging the vehicles without cords or cables.

The wireless charging test will take place in Gothenburg within its “Green City Zone”. The zone is designed to provide an area in which to test out new technologies for the development of sustainable cities.

Mats Moberg, head of R&D for Volvo says the test will also help the carmaker evaluate the technology for inclusion in its future electric vehicles.

Inductive charging, such as is used for smartphones, can provide a more frictionless user experience for EV owners as they do not have to remember to plug in to top up the battery. Its advantages can be more so for fleets where employees may not be as diligent with charging.

However, it has some disadvantages, because the rate of charging is typically slower and the vehicle must be lined up exactly in order for the electricity induction to charge the battery.

However, Momentum Dynamics, which is providing the charging stations for the test, says that the top charge rate for its stations will be more than 40kW. This would mean that a XC40 Pure Recharge with 78kWh battery could be charged from empty to full within a little less than two hours.

The test will see the XC40 Recharge compact SUVs driven 12 hours a day. Over a year this will see 100,000km added to the clock, proving a durability test also for the company’s CMA platform.