A GUIDE TO FUTURE TECHNOLOGY COMING TO A CAR NEAR YOU SOON
ENERGY STORAGE CREATED
USING I-PACE MODULES
VOLVO TESTS WIRELESS
CHARGING IN THE WILD Volvo is testing wireless charging that can top-up electric cars at up to 40kW, making it almost as quick as a 50kW DC fast charger. It’s taking place within the Gothenburg Green City Zone in Sweden, one of several areas of the city designated as ‘live test beds for the development of sustainable technologies.’ Provided by Momentum Dynamics, the wireless charging starts automatically as soon as a compatible vehicle parks above a charging pad embedded in the street, allowing drivers to charge without plugging in cables, or even having to get out of the car. Energy from the pad is picked up by a receiver unit in the car, and Volvo has tweaked the 360-degree camera view to make it easier for drivers to align the car with the charging pad. The brand plans to test its XC40 Recharge wireless charging test cars for more than 12 hours a day and drive them around 62,000 miles in one year, which will also act as a durability test for fully electric Volvo cars in a commercial usage scenario. “Testing new charging technologies together with selected partners is a good way to evaluate alternative charging options for our future cars” said Mats Moberg, Head of Research and Development at Volvo Cars. “Gothenburg Green City Zone lets us try exciting new technologies in a real environment and evaluate them over time for a potential future broader introduction.”
Jaguar Land Rover has partnered with Pramac to create a portable energy storage unit, powered by used Jaguar I-Pace batteries. The Off Grid Energy Storage System, or ESS for short, uses lithium-ion cells taken from I-Pace prototypes and engineering test vehicles, and can provide power where there’s limited access to a mains supply. The partnership is Jaguar Land Rover’s first in its plan to create a circular economy business model for its electric vehicle batteries. It will form part of the manufacturer’s strategy to achieve net zero status by 2039. It predicts the market for second-life batteries for ‘stationary applications’ could exceed 200 gigawatthours per year by the end of the decade, with a value of more than £23 million. Pramac’s flagship ESS has a capacity of up to 125kWh – enough to easily charge an I-Pace, or power a family home for around a week. Pramac uses up to 85% of the vehicle’s battery pack in the storage unit, including modules and wiring, while the remaining material is recycled for use in the supply chain. The self-contained ESS is charged from solar panels and includes a bi-directional converter and control management system. Available for commercial hire, the units are fitted with Type 2 electric vehicle connectors, capable of charging speeds of up to 22kW AC. To test its capabilities, it was recently used by Jaguar TCS Racing during testing for the Formula E season, powering the team’s diagnostic equipment and auxiliary power for the pit garage.
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