Daimler AG is about to test wireless inductive charging for the first time on a vehicle in everyday use.
The Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL will be deployed from March 2012 in the project “Effizienzhaus-Plus mit Elektromobilität”.
With the inductive charging principle, an electric car fitted with a special charging coil merely has to be positioned over a charging coil in the ground to start the charging process fully automatically, with no need for cable contact.
Through the application of cutting-edge technologies, the energy-efficient house in this pilot project is intended to generate more electricity than it consumes. This surplus electricity can be used to recharge battery-powered electric vehicles, for example – the home as a personal filling station. The entire building has been designed along energy-efficient lines, seamlessly incorporating the area of electric mobility. Both the inductive and the cable-based charging devices are harmonically integrated in the house’s architecture, for example.
A family of four will live at the house on an experimental basis for 15 months, beginning in March 2012. During their stay at the house they will use various electric vehicles to explore and demonstrate how a new generation of buildings and electric mobility interact in daily life.
Apart from the Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL with inductive charging option, Daimler AG will be providing the “Effizienzhaus-Plus mit Elektromobilität” project from the start in March 2012 with two other battery-powered electric vehicles for around three months: the second-generation smart fortwo electric drive and the smart ebike.
Charging without a cable
In addition to charging with a cable, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL to be deployed in this project can also be charged inductively. This involves non-contact transmission of the charging current by means of an electromagnetic field. For this purpose, both the vehicle and the parking space at the energy-efficient house are fitted with corresponding coils. A special display system helps the driver to manoeuvre the vehicle into the ideal position over the charging coil.
In cooperation with Conductix-Wampfler and Röchling Automotive KG, Daimler has already developed a prototype version of this technology and demonstrated its functional effectiveness in a project sponsored by the Federal Ministry of the Environment. The technology’s suitability for everyday use is now to be sounded out thoroughly in the course of the practical trial.[wzslider height=”400″ lightbox=”true”]
