Volvo tests wireless charging in real-world operation

A small fleet of all-electric Volvo XC40 Recharge cabs is now on the road in the Swedish metropolis of Gothenburg. The electric vehicles used by Cabonline, Scandinavia's largest cab company, can be charged without a cable at selected stations.

The three-year trial of wireless charging in cab operations is one of many projects under Gothenburg's Green City Zone initiative, which aims to speed up the development of sustainable technology. Parts of the city are being transformed into a test lab in the process.

»Gothenburg's Green City Zone allows us to try out new technology in a real-world environment and evaluate its future widespread introduction,« says Mats Moberg, head of research and development at Volvo Cars. »Testing new charging processes together with selected partners is a good way to evaluate alternative charging options for our future electric vehicles.«

Fast charging without getting out of the car

Volvo's all-electric cabs operate more than twelve hours a day and cover around 100,000 kilometers annually. This also puts the electric cars through their first endurance test in a commercial usage scenario.

They are charged at charging stations from Momentum Dynamics, a provider of wireless electric charging systems. As soon as a compatible e-vehicle parks over a charging station embedded in the ground, charging begins automatically - the driver doesn't even have to get out of the car. For optimal alignment, Volvo Cars uses its 360-degree camera system to perfectly park the vehicle on the charging unit.

The station sends energy to the receiver in the car via a charging pad. The all-electric Volvo XC40 Recharge is thereby supplied wirelessly with more than 40 kW of power - the charging speed is thus around four times as fast as with a privately used 11-kW wallbox and almost as fast as with wired 50-kW DC fast chargers.

Close cooperation with several partners

In addition to Cabonline and Momentum Dynamics, the project also involves Volvo Bil and Volvo Car Retail, Swedish retailers that are part of Volvo, the Swedish utility Vattenfall with its charging network InCharge, the municipal energy company Göteborg Energi and Business Region Göteborg, a municipal economic development agency of the city of Göteborg.

Volvo Cars has already been part of Gothenburg's Green City Zone initiative since last year, which aims to achieve zero-emission road transport by 2030. Using a real city as a test area enables the Swedish premium automaker to more quickly develop new technologies and services in the areas of electrification, shared mobility, autonomous driving, connectivity and safety.