Tesla’s “early adopter” entry into the game, maybe wireless charging for cars is really coming?

Wireless charging is very common in the mobile phone industry, but have you ever thought that entire new energy vehicles can also be charged wirelessly?

Recently, it was reported that Tesla will acquire Wiferion, a German wireless charging startup, which has once again attracted attention from the outside world to wireless charging technology for electric vehicles. So can this technology really become mainstream?

Why wireless charging?

Wireless charging mainly realizes wireless power transmission through electromagnetic induction , electromagnetic resonance, radio frequency , microwave , laser and other technologies. This technology is not new. Some countries such as China can even theoretically generate electricity in space and then wirelessly transmit it to Earth.

And in daily life, wireless charging can be seen everywhere. Mobile phones, headphones, watches, and toothbrushes can all be charged wirelessly. Therefore, if a wireless charging module is installed on the charging position, the user can save the need to plug and unplug the charging gun and improve the charging experience.

This seems cool, but does it really scale?

What is the difficulty of operating wireless charging for cars?

Wireless charging is not only being pursued by Tesla, but also by domestic Hongqi, Zhiji, BAIC, and foreign BMW and Volvo, etc., and has been included in the "New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2021-2035)" .

It is reported that Wiferion entered the North American market last year by reaching a global licensing agreement with WiTricity. After licensing inductive charging technology from Wiferion, WiTricity attempted to sell inductive charging for cars as an aftermarket solution.

Witricity demonstrated its wireless charging technology last year using a Tesla car. Witricity modified a Tesla Model 3, installed a power receiver on it , and showed that the electric car can be charged at 11 kilowatts by simply parking it on the corresponding charging pad. For example, a full charge takes 6 hours.

It can be seen that although wireless charging gets rid of the limitations of charging piles and charging cables, its charging power is far behind compared to wired charging technology. Wired fast charging can reach 100Kw and above, while the power level of wireless charging is roughly around 10Kw, which is the ordinary slow charging level. The cost of charging time outweighs the gain.

Moreover, the safety issues of wireless charging piles have also attracted attention, because wireless charging is the mutual conversion of magnetic fields and electric fields. This process will generate a large amount of electromagnetic radiation, which is a sensitive topic for human health . In addition, huge energy loss and a large amount of heat will be generated during the wireless charging process. As the power increases, more heat will be released, which has become a major technical difficulty in improving wireless charging power.

For Tesla, even if it does acquire Wiferion, the latter's wireless charging technology may not be quickly put into existing models - as shown in the investor day PPT. But the important thing is that Tesla is ready to officially get involved with this technology and the innovation opportunities it may bring.