Qualcomm and Ricardo announced they have entered into a Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC) technology license agreement.
Under the terms of the agreement, Qualcomm has granted to Ricardo a royalty-bearing technology license to develop, make and supply WEVC systems for automobile manufacturers. Qualcomm subsidiaries will provide technical expertise and engineering support.
There is an increasing focus from automakers on hybrid and electric vehicles as they look to reduce tail pipe emissions. Ricardo sees WEVC as an enabling technology for automakers to drive mass adoption of EV/PHEVs by simplifying the charging challenge. Ricardo views Qualcomm Halo technology as an advanced WEVC solution that has the potential to encourage more widespread adoption of EVs, meeting the requirements of automakers and drivers for simple and convenient EV charging.
Working with Qualcomm will enable Ricardo to design and build WEVC systems that meet automakers’ requirements for wireless charging today and in the future, as demand becomes more prevalent for higher power, faster charging, different deployment methods such as buried charging pads, and for WEVC systems which charge SUVs, taxis and autonomous vehicles.
Ricardo will benefit from comprehensive engineering support provided by Qualcomm subsidiaries which aims to enhance their ability to develop commercially viable and technically advanced WEVC systems and will support the future design of evolving WEVC systems.
Qualcomm Halo WEVC technology has been developed with a focus on cost and package optimization, power, interoperability, and co-existence with vehicles systems. An advanced technology pipeline delivers ongoing improvements, supporting standardized and interoperable WEVC technology suitable for stationary and, eventually, dynamic charging.
The Qualcomm Halo utilises resonant magnetic induction to transfer energy from a ground-based pad to a pad integrated into the vehicle. The base pad and vehicle pad are coupled magnetically and energy is transferred wirelessly into the vehicle and used to charge the vehicle’s batteries. The base pad may be mounted on a garage or road surface or buried below the ground. This advanced technology is highly efficient and is designed to allow easy alignment when parking.
Qualcomm Halo uses high-power, resonant magnetic inductive wireless energy transfer and supports a relatively wide air gap between base charging unit (BCU) and vehicle charging unit (VCU). The charging pad’s multi-coil design (“Double “D” Quadrature”) delivers high energy-transfer efficiency and high power—3.3 kW, 6.6 kW or 20 kW—even if the pads are misaligned.
Power is converted to Direct Current (DC) by the on-board controller and used to charge the vehicle’s batteries. Halo multi-coil technology delivers magnetic interoperability across single coil, solenoid & multi-coil vehicle pads and supports various air gaps.
