Qualcomm demonstrates contactless charging of electric cars

Qualcomm showed at CES that it doesn’t just make processors and SOCs for smartphones and tablets: the company showed a body of an electric car that can be charged wirelessly via induction.

Qualcomm’s Halo technology should make it easy to charge electric cars. A charging station with a plug is then no longer necessary, which should prevent possible vandalism or damage from other causes.

The Halo works via induction, similar to the way loops in the road surface perceive a car in front of a traffic light. The Halo consists of a charging station that is built into the floor of a garage or the asphalt of a parking lot. A corresponding plate with induction loop is built into the underside of a car.

The big plus of the Halo, according to Qualcomm, is the great tolerance with which the system works. The induction loops do not have to be positioned very precisely in relation to each other to achieve 90 percent transfer, but a spokesperson could not give any figures on how much slack there is.

The charging station is capable of supplying 2000W: there will be different versions of the induction plate for under cars. Depending on the built-in batteries, the current to be supplied is 3.5A to 10A. Qualcomm supplies the technology to charge cars with the Halo, and is in talks with ‘the big ten’ manufacturers to implement the technology in future electric cars. A trial in London is also under development.