Greentech Lead America: Evatran has installed its first
three Plugless Power wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging technology with
The Hertz Corporation, Duke Energy, and the Clemson University International
Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR).
These installations, on Nissan LEAF vehicles is the part
of the Apollo Launch program and the first passenger electric vehicles in the
world with full wireless charging capability.
The installation at the three locations began in early
June drivers have been trialing the vehicles since then and will continue to
test the systems throughout the next three months.
The Apollo Launch Program follows six commercial partners
as they trial wireless charging technology installed on their own Chevy Volt
and Nissan LEAF vehicles, in a variety of real-world applications. An
additional three installations will be completed in July with partners from
California to Washington, D.C.
The prototypes installed with Apollo Program partners
require absolutely zero user interaction, charge the vehicles as quickly as
traditional corded chargers, and function at over 90 percent efficiency.
“We wanted to get this game-changing technology into
the hands of real electric vehicle drivers and we wanted to show the market
that convenient, wireless charging technology can encourage electric vehicle
adoption on a large scale. With these first installations, we’re well on our
way to leading the wireless charging market,” Tom Hough, Evatran chief
executive officer and electric vehicle driver.
The Plugless Power technology is based on
electromagnetic induction. This fundamental technology was enhanced by Evatran
engineers with proprietary control software and coil designs in order to extend
the efficient transfer of power over an air gap of as much as seven inches.