Vattenfall to test wireless charging technology for taxis

Vattenfall, in collaboration with Volvo Cars, taxi operator Cabonline, hard ware supplier Momentum Dynamics, the municipal energy company Göteborg Energi and the municipal business development agency Business Region Gothenburg, are developing and testing a new wireless charging technology in a live city environment. The wireless charging stations will be placed around two areas in Gothenburg.

The charging starts automatically when a compatible vehicle parks over a charging pad embedded in the street. The charging station sends energy through the charging pad, which is picked up by a receiver unit in the car. In the car a vehicle identifier makes it possible to send an authorization to Vattenfall that summarizes the payment once a month.

“During the test period, Vattenfall will ensure that the automatic payment solution, InCharge, currently used for fixed charging solutions, is working smoothly in the context of wireless charging. This provides an opportunity to develop our solution for future alternatives for car charging and payment. To be able to charge and pay virtually is an important step and I look much forward the results of the test,” says Susanna Hurtig, Director E-mobility Nordic.

The cars will be used for more than 12 hours a day and drive 100,000 km per year. This is the first durability test of fully electric Volvo cars in a commercial usage scenario.

“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,” said Mats Moberg, head of Research and Development at Volvo Cars. “Testing new charging technologies together with selected partners is a good way to evaluate alternative charging options for our future cars.”

"At Vattenfall we always strive to improve ease of use and customer experience. To be able to test new technology in close collaboration across industries and organisations brings great value for future development and to work towards fossil free living within one generation," says Susanna Hurtig.

The wireless charging initiative is part of the strategic project Gothenburg Green City Zone. This is the first in a row of many tests which will help the city to become greener.

The InCharge network was introduced in 2016 by Vattenfall and has today 30 000 connected charging points in northern Europe. The Vattenfall InCharge Products and Services portfolio offers a full range of charging solutions - at home, at work and on the go.

For further information, please contact:
Vattenfall Media Relations, +46 8 739 5010, press@vattenfall.com
Volvo Cars Media Relations, +46 31 59 65 25, media@volvocars.com