Volkswagen and the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory set a new wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging record with a Porsche Taycan.
Oak Ridge officials noted that the wireless EV charging tests are similar to the wireless charging of smartphones and other smaller electronics. As such, Volkswagen and the DOE’s experiments might help with the transition from internal combustion engine cars to EVs.
Researchers participating in Volkswagen and DOE’s experiments successfully transferred 270 kW of power to a Porsche Taycan. According to Thomas Net, a Taycan cannot accommodate today’s power transfer systems because they are too bulky and heavy. Power transfer systems can only transfer up to 11 kW of power at 92% efficiency.
In March, Volkswagen and the DOE’s laboratory wirelessly transferred 100 kW of power to an EV. The legacy automaker and Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers broke their record in March with their latest transfer.
For the experiment, Oak Ridge scientists invented a wireless charging system, which engineers installed in the undercarriage of a Porsche Taycan. Oak Ridge officials shared that the new wireless charging system was composed of lightweight, polyphase electromagnetic coupling coils, resulting in more power density in smaller coils that were a little more than 19 inches in diameter.
According to Oak Ridge scientists, their system could transfer power across a nearly 5-inch gap between the ground and coil. They estimated that the wireless EV charging system could charge a Porsche Taycan by 50% in 10 minutes with over 95% efficiency. Their system also prevents excessive voltage/current, short-circuiting, and overheating.
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