The companies will collaborate to promote the global adoption of open, interoperable wireless charging standards for electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure.
Siemens invests strategically in WiTricity and licenses their wireless EV charging technology for future products.
Siemens invests USD 25 million and acquires a minority stake in WiTricity, a wireless charging technology company headquartered in the United States. Siemens and WiTricity will collaborate to advance innovation in the emerging wireless EV charging market. Siemens anticipates that this market will reach $2 billion in Europe and North America by 2028. The two companies intend to close the gaps in the global standardization of wireless charging for electric passenger and light-duty commercial vehicles in order to promote interoperability between vehicles and infrastructure and market penetration. Moreover, the parties will work together to advance the technical development of wireless charging systems.
Arrangement for charging electric vehicles wirelessly
“Combining Siemens’ global footprint and EV charging portfolio with WiTricity’s innovative technology is the first step towards elevating our offering in the wireless charging space. This will speed up deployment of wireless charging technology, support standardization, and advance public charging infrastructure with interoperable solutions for drivers’ convenience,” said Markus Mildner, CEO of Siemens eMobility.
Siemens will also become a technology license partner, leveraging WiTricity’s extensive expertise and decade-long collaboration with global automotive OEMs to develop field-proven, interoperable wireless charging solutions.
Innovative and established technology
A charging pad mounted on or in the ground transfers energy to a receiving coil attached to the undercarriage of an electric vehicle. No moving parts or physical connections are present. When the vehicle is over the charging pad, a magnetic field transfers energy between the charging pad and the vehicle coil. The system uses resonant induction between the charger and receiver to provide high efficiency for a range of ground clearances, including those of low-slung sports cars and SUVs.
Cost-effective, global availability that meets customer requirements
The collaboration’s ultimate objective is to accelerate the maturation of wireless charging technologies alongside OEMs and infrastructure partners, while simultaneously ensuring their cost-effective global availability. A recent survey of more than 1,000 current and future EV owners interested in purchasing an EV within the next two years revealed that wireless charging was one of the most highly rated add-ons and a more desired option than park-assist, performance, or premium audio packages.
“Wireless charging enables a driver to just park and walk away, returning to a charged vehicle. Wireless charging makes EVs more appealing for individual owners and more cost-effective for commercial operators. We are excited to partner with a leader like Siemens to help drive this new world of compelling solutions,” said Alex Gruzen, CEO of WiTricity. “Siemens and WiTricity share the goal of improving EV ownership and fleet management with the matchless simplicity and reliability of wireless charging”.
Eliminating autonomous vehicle friction points
For autonomous vehicles to fulfill their potential, key friction points must be eliminated, such as charging, which requires human intervention at present. Wireless power transfer will be the key technology to enable contactless automatic charging with minimal maintenance needs and pave the way for an all-electric, fully autonomous future of transportation.
