WPD explores feasibility of ‘on-the-go’ wireless EV charging

Western Power Distribution (WPD) has launched a new research project to explore the feasibility of providing “on-the-go” wireless electric vehicle charging in the UK.

The study, conducted in partnership with Coventry City Council, Coventry University, Toyota and Cenex, will assess the viability of installing inductive charging technology under road surfaces to supply power to vehicles while they are in motion.

WPD said the technology would alleviate range anxiety for drivers and could be particularly beneficial for heavy goods vehicles which are near continuously moving and require large batteries to cover the long distances they need to travel.

The company said it could also assist distribution network operators such as itself as the charging strips could be connected to multiple substations, spreading the load across a wider area. It could additionally relieve pressure on distribution networks during periods of peak demand such as the end of the day when people return home from work.

Among other things, the DynaCoV (Dynamic Charging of Vehicles) project will examine how data could be transferred between the chargers and receivers on vehicles and identify areas where WPD’s existing network could benefit from the technology.

WPD innovation and low carbon network engineer Ricky Duke said: “The ability to charge your vehicle while on the move would be a massive game changer for the nation and the launch of our study marks an important milestone in our journey towards identifying new and exciting ways to support the mass adoption of EVs across the country.

“As we look to the New Year and start to think about a post-Covid-19 world, it will be ground-breaking tech and innovation such as this that paves the way to the UK’s green recovery and helps us achieve the government’s net zero target by 2050.”

Shamala Evans from Coventry City Council added: “There are sectors of the transport system, such as buses and HGVs, which have previously proven challenging to electrify due to their high energy demands.

“However, dynamic wireless power transfer is a technology which has the potential to provide the ability to charge on the move and will be transformational in accelerating the electrification of our transport networks.”

The £417,000 project is being funded through Ofgem’s Network Innovation Allowance. The results are expected to published by February 2022. Depending on the outcome, an initial trial of the technology could be announced later that year.