Goodbye Cords: Toyota Is Testing Wireless Charging Station For Hybrids, Electric Cars
Are you the owner of an electric car? Hate finding the charging station, then having to get out and actually plug-in your car? Well, fret no more because Toyota is testing a new, easy-to-use wireless battery-charging system.
The system charges a the battery of a plug-in hybrid or a pure-electric car by having the car park on top of it, Autoweek reports.
The system employs magnetic resonance that results from changes in magnetic field intensity between the coil positioned on the ground under the car and a receiving coil built into the undercarriage of the vehicle.
Part of the system includes a new parking-assist program that would help the driver position the car in a parking spot for the charging system.
To test the system, Toyota has given three modified Priuses to customers in Japan for one year. The customers will test ease of use, user satisfaction, misalignment rates and charging behavior.
If testing is successful, the new system could be introduced for personal and commercial use in a couple of years.
Toyota begins testing wireless recharging for electric cars [Autoweek]
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.