Wireless EV charging in South Korea: Seeing is believing

With many new technologies, people need to see it for themselves to know that it’s real. And that it works. This was evident at this year’s CES when WiTricity demonstrated wireless charging for electric golf carts. Many people stopped by the booth because they had heard about wireless EV charging but had never seen it in action. Wireless charging of electric vehicles was reinforced by videos showing a variety of EVs charging wirelessly, along with other vehicles in our booth.

Wireless charging at an event, like CES, is one thing. But wireless charging in homes, offices, and retail locations is quite another. That’s why we’re excited this video shows wireless charging, in action, of a beautiful new vehicle in South Korea as implemented by SK Elec Link, a major charge point operator in Korea. Their effort to modify electric vehicles for wireless charging is supported by Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy.

This national project was carried out for the purpose of developing future technologies and is expected to improve convenience for the disabled and elderly communities. By equipping existing plug-in electric vehicles with a wireless charging function, it will be easier for everyone who drives an EV to charge, particularly people with disabilities and the elderly who have unique challenges with EV charging cables. Check out this video of D’Arcee Neal, a disabilities advocate, who has shared some of his frustrations about dealing with electric vehicle chargers: “Frustrating. Maddening. Disappointing. And painful.”

Wireless EV charging allows drivers to charge their vehicle by simply parking over the charging pad, without the need to plug in a charging cable. As seen in the video, the vehicle is equipped with a wireless receiving pad with the charging process controlled by a smartphone app.