VW Patents High-Speed Wireless EV Charging System

Click for more information.

Volkswagen said today it has patented a unique coil and charging pad design with silicon-carbide materials to optimize charging speed and safety. The object is to make charging an electric vehicle as easy as pulling into a parking place. In the first early trials with what is called a silicon-carbide inverter, the prototype system has shown high efficiency. A research team* has been able to increase the charging power level up to 120 kW with this prototype from an earlier 6.6kW prototype, with a future goal of 300 kW.

“We are accelerating innovation within electric vehicles and contributing to more sustainable transportation in America by focusing our efforts on some of the most transformative automotive research being done in the country,” said Pablo Di Si, President and CEO at Volkswagen Group of America.

“Our technology teams in Tennessee are a great example. There, we are tapping American ingenuity fostered by the unique blend of world-class academic research and Volkswagen’s leading industry capabilities,” said DiSi.

Volkswagen’s Innovation Hub Knoxville, opened in 2020, is part of Volkswagen Group’s innovation centers in Belmont, California; Wolfsburg, Germany; and Beijing, along with hubs in Singapore, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. It is located at the University of Tennessee Research Park at Cherokee Farm in Knoxville. This includes the Oakridge National Lab (ORNL), where VWGoA says it has also established research collaborations. Volkswagen researchers, UT faculty and doctoral students as well as ORNL scientists collectively work on technology projects.

*The research team is “using Volkswagen’s expertise in vehicle power electronics, ORNL’s capabilities in high power wireless charging, and UT’s knowledge of power electronics optimization,” VW said. AutoInformed notes that prototypes are not necessary production possible or ready.