Chargemaster, a company that makes charging points for electric vehicles, is looking to roll out wireless electric vehicle charging (WEVC) systems in the UK next year after announcing funding from Qualcomm.
Qualcomm will provide its Halo WEVC technology for the 10,000 ‘wireless ready’ public and workplace charging points that Chargemaster has already installed in the UK and Europe.
The technology, designed to allow easy alignment when parking, uses magnetic induction to transfer energy from a ground-based pad to a pad integrated into the vehicle, according to Chargemaster.
The base pad and vehicle pad are coupled magnetically and the energy is transferred wirelessly to charge the vehicle’s batteries.
The 25-year-old firm, based in Luton, said many car makers are planning to incorporate wireless charging equipment into their electric and plug-in vehicles in the future.
David Martell, CEO of Chargemaster said: "We have been working with Qualcomm for several years now and this investment is a natural progression. We are very excited about helping to bring the next major evolution in electric motoring to the market, making the electric driving experience even more enjoyable and practical for daily use."
Anthony Thomson, VP of business development and marketing at Qualcomm Europe, added: "Qualcomm Halo WEVC is viewed as the future of EV charging by many EV manufacturers. Chargemaster is a leader in the deployment of charging infrastructure and by making this investment we are taking another step towards deployment of a convenient and easy to use WEVC network."
