Wireless charging from Tesla will raise expectations of competing automakers

By Tom McDonald, VP, Market Development, WiTricity

In a futuristically staged event at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank last night, Tesla unveiled its vision for autonomous taxis. These vehicles will be charged wirelessly.

Of course they will.

Autonomous vehicles use powerful GPUs, CPUs, and AI models built on millions of video clips, neural network processing, and gigabytes of data.

But they do not come with hands or arms.

Wireless charging is fully automatic and requires no human assistance. It is essential to true autonomous vehicle (AV) operation. The promise of autonomous taxis is always on, always available, timely transportation. For this to be realized, the human element must be removed as a variable.

However, wireless charging is here right now, and the benefits are far from exclusive to autonomous vehicles.

WiTricity has already added wireless charging to electric vehicles from Ford, VW, BMW, Nissan, Hyundai, and others. These integrations have focused on incorporating WiTricity’s magnetic resonance technology for both consumer and autonomous applications.

Because plug-in chargers are a point of friction in the EV ownership experience, we do not expect it will be long before EV owners start to ask dealers, “Can your EVs charge wirelessly like a robotaxi?”  

With park-and-charge automation, a small WiTricity system installed in a garage eliminates the frequent problem of forgetting to plug in the vehicle. On the road, frustrations persist with plug-in chargers, where drivers are too often met with “charger not available.” In contrast, WiTricity systems have no moving parts, offer better uptime, eliminate tripping hazards, and the need to handle high-power cables.

Although consumers are enthusiastic about wireless charging, commercial fleets going electric are moving even faster to deploy the technology– from airports and seaports to trucking depots and utilities. They find that with no moving parts to break or freeze, wireless charging is more reliable than the plug. Low-profile charging pads enable easier deployment of automated charging along routes while charging during dwell times increases state-of-charge – potentially reducing battery size requirements and extending battery life. All these benefits total up to lower ownership costs to fleet owners.

Partner with WiTricity

Wireless charging will play a crucial role in helping autonomous and EV vehicle manufacturers realize their vision of revolutionizing mobility, improving efficiency, driving economic growth, and unlocking new levels of productivity.

With over a decade of experience and innovation, WiTricity continues to lead wireless EV charging.

We invite automakers, fleet operators, and industry players to learn more about WiTricity’s technology and explore partnership opportunities. Explore all the resources on our website or complete the Contact Us form to start a conversation.

WiTricity is ready to lead the charge in making wireless charging a standard for EVs worldwide. Let’s partner together.