October 22, 2020

New SAE Wireless Charging standard is EV game-changer

SAE J2954 paves the way for electric vehicle charging without a plug and enables alignment for manual/autonomous parking. SAE International on October 22 announced publication of the first global standard that specifies, in a single document, both the electric vehicle- and supply equipment (EVSE) ground-system requirements for wireless charging of electric vehicles (EV). The new standard, SAE J2954 helps pave the way for charging without the need for plugging in – widely considered to be a key enabler for accelerating the adoption of EVs and autonomous vehicles.

The new standard was more than a decade in the making. SAE kicked off its pioneering pre-competitive research at a time when few contemporary electric cars existed and wireless power transfer (WPT) systems for EVs were an unproven concept. The SAE J2954 Wireless Power Transfer and Alignment Taskforce worked since 2007 to thoroughly vet and test the technology, in partnership with government agencies, regulatory bodies and private-industry groups including the American Association of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), U.S. Dept. of Energy (DoE), the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and many others.“Charging your EV should be as simple as parking and walking away – the wireless charging SAE J2954 Standard gives freedom and convenience to do exactly that, safely and automatically,” stated Jesse Schneider, chair of the SAE J2954 Task Force. WPT systems work by parking in a wireless charging spot, with the vehicle positioned over an SAE J2954-compatible ground assembly pad. After a communications handshake, charging begins automatically without a physical corded connection.