Qualcomm recently announced that its Halo wireless charging technology will be used to recharge safety vehicles working on the Formula E circuit.
While the actual Formula E racers will be recharged by convention plug-in stations, creating an infrastructure where vehicles can be wirelessly charged may have profound implications. According to Qualcomm, the current Halo wireless charging system operates by having a vehicle park over a wireless charging pad. The vehicle can recharge its battery as long as it stays over the pad.
Although having static charging stations has obvious benefits for EVs, Qualcomm also said that dynamic wireless charging is right around the corner. In fact, the company’s CMO Anand Chandrasekher has said that Formula E racecars could have the ability to recharge while racing as early as next season – and that’s a game changer.
If dynamic wireless charging technology could be built into our infrastructure, EV limitations like range and battery cost could be dramatically reduced. Vehicles that could travel without concern for range could even eliminate the need for back-up internal combustion engines.
Although it seems like Qualcomm might be overstating the readiness of this technology Chandrasekher stated that his company’s wireless charging technology is nearly ready to roll. “There are a few [suppliers] that are already building with our technology, so within the next few years, hopefully we'll see some of this in market".
Whether the energy industry can handle this type of power consumption has yet to be seen.
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Images & Video Courtesy of Qualcomm Halo