Making a smart city "smart"

by Eric Cohen

People have been talking about the notion of smart cities for decades. The root of the idea is that with the rapid advancements in technology we can do a better job of equipping our cities and improving the quality of life. This would be accomplished by using smart sensors to gather and analyze real-time data to gain insights into city operations, communicating the analysis to decision makers, and taking action to improve operations. (Think of the sensors in use today that make the lights turn green for the left turn lane only when a car is in the left turn lane – now multiply that by a few thousands in terms of applications and impact.)

Why is this important? 54% of the world’s population lives in cities. This is expected to increase to 66% by 2050. [1] With this growth, it’s important that cities focus on delivering a high quality of life while also generating economic growth.

A large part of quality improvement is about making life easier – and more convenient – for residents. It’s also about making the environment safer and more beautiful. As EVs grow in adoption, wireless EV charging will become a core component of these smart cities.

More convenient

City life can be complicated and chaotic. Without enough hours in the day, residents are continually looking for ways to simplify their daily activities and finding ways to get more done. Wireless charging will provide a seamless charging experience when deployed where people already park. Today, most people don’t plug in if their stop is less than an hour. But a stop at a fast-food restaurant averages less than 25 minutes. If all you have to do is park, the odds that you will take a little top off on your charge greatly increases, and your perceived range also increases. Now make that happen at every errand, and you can see how the idea of “going to charge” can quickly become irrelevant.

More reliable

One of the fastest rising crimes in cities around the world is EV charger cable theft. Thieves are stealing charger cables for the copper wiring. With the price of copper near record highs on global markets, thieves stand to collect a lot of cash from copper sales. The result is that EV owners can’t be sure that a charging station will necessarily be operational. Wireless charging will provide enhanced reliability with no cords or cables to be cut.

More beautiful

As electric vehicles begin to proliferate, chargers – and cables – are popping up everywhere. City streets are littered with bollards near curbsides and cables on utility poles. Residents are stepping over cables strewn across sidewalks and charger plugs laying on the ground. And precious space is being taken up with chargers in parking lots. Cityscapes can retain their picturesque beauty with wireless charging.

If the futurists are right, more than 5 billion people will be living in smart cities within the next 30 years. It’s not too early to begin planning and incorporating the technology necessary to make them attainable. Planning for wireless charging is an important part of that process.

[1] https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/what-is-a-smart-city