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Toyota test wireless charging for EVs

LONDON, England - Recharging a Toyota plug-in hybrid or all-electric vehicle could be as simple as parking the car near a charging station in the future.

Toyota has announced testing will begin for a new wireless battery charging system it has developed for vehicles that use an electric motor. Test are scheduled for February 2014.

The automaker says the new technology allows a vehicle to be charged simply by parking it in alignment with a coil set into the surface of the ground. This makes the process simpler and easier.

Toyota says its charging system transmits electricity using magnetic resonance created by changes in magnetic field intensity between a transmitting coil in the ground and a receiving coil in the car.

It is designed so that it can reduce any loss in power caused by misalignment or height differences between the coils.

'ROBUST'

Measures have been taken to minimise any electromagnetic interference with nearby equipment, says Toyota, and the transmitting coil in the ground has been made robust enough to withstand vehicles driving over it.

To help the driver align the car correctly, Toyota has developed a function for its Intelligent parking assist system that shows the position of the transmitting coil in a parking space, added the automaker.

The test programme involves three plug-in hybrid used by homes in Japan. It will assess user satisfaction, the system’s ease of use, misalignment rates and charging behaviour, such as how often charging takes place and timer-based charging it used.

Toyota says: "We will use the test results to develop the technology further, with the ultimate aim of bringing the system to market."

If implemented, would you switch to a plug-in hybrid or an electric vehicle if you could recharge your vehicle wirelessly? Email us your comments.
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