Toyota have recently partnered with WiTricity, with whom they have also invested substantial capital in, to develop practical application of wireless electric car charging systems and the promotion of their widespread use.
The charging of a plug-in hybrid or electric car could be as simple and convenient as parking near an embedded charger at a home or in a parking facility.
WiTricity’s charging technology uses resonance, which allows charging without direct contact and is more efficient than electromagnetic-induction, another wireless technology—but one that requires contact—that is starting to come of age in mobile phone and other chargers.
WiTricity’s technology delivers up to 3.3 KW of electricity, making it comparable to the rate provided by wired Level 2 chargers today. WiTricity’s equipment has been able to achieve 90-percent efficiency in the lab, which means a 10-percent loss between when the electricity leaves the grid and arrives at the car battery pack.
[source: WiTricity]
