Siemens and Mahle plan to standardise wireless EV charging

Charging your electric car without having to plug could be something of a holy grail for EV owners.

Two leading industrial tech companies – Siemens and Mahle – say they want to ensure that wireless EV charging – assuming it becomes mainstream – can be implemented in a way that will future-proof homes and carparks.

Siemens, one of the most recognisable German industrial manufacturing companies, and Mahle, a German automotive parts manufacturer, announced on Tuesday that they had signed a letter of intent to collaborate in the field of inductive charging of electric vehicles.

“Wireless charging of electric vehicles is emerging as a major market for the future,” said Stefan Perras, head of pre-development and innovation for charging onfrastructure at Siemens.

“In addition to making life considerably easier for drivers, who no longer have to fiddle with cables and connectors, it is a crucial requirement for the autonomous mobility of tomorrow. The transfer efficiency of wireless, inductive charging is comparable to plug-in systems.”

One aspect of the two companies’ planned cooperation will focus on coordination standardisation efforts in the relevant pre-standardisation and standardisation bodies in an effort to ensure greater interoperability between vehicles and charging infrastructure.

Siemens and Mahle plan to compare ideas and experience to develop a complete charging system for electric vehicles, and  develop what they describe as “extensive interoperability and cross-testing” between the charging equipment including the secondary coil on the vehicle, and the primary coil on the charging infrastructure.

Siemens has already made a move into this space, investing $US25 million in June in wireless charging specialist WiTricity.