Car and Driver: Charge Me Up: SAE Developing Wireless Charging Standard for Electric Cars

Saving the environment can be exhausting, especially if you own an electric vehicle that requires you to physically plug and unplug the charger into and out of the charging port. Fortunately, wireless charging for your electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle is all but certain, and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) is currently working on creating a set standard for these charging systems.

First presented at the Conference for Electric Roads and Vehicles (CERV) in Logan, Utah, in mid-May, but published today, SAE TIR J2954 lays out this groundwork in the name of consumer safety and convenience. Calling for a common frequency band of 85 kHz (81.39 – 90 kHz), the SAE is proposing  four classes of wireless power transfer levels that result in slower or faster charge times: 3.7 kW, 7.7 kW, 11 kW, and 22 kW. The SAE notes that additional, quicker, power transfer levels may be added in future iterations of the standard.

• -
• Audi Q7 e-Tron Could Have Wireless Charging Technology-
• BMW, Mercedes-Benz Working on Wireless Charging Systems-
• Roadkill: The Future of Electric Vehicle Charging-

By encouraging the automotive industry to design wireless charging systems around a set frequency band, consumers will be able to successfully charge their electric vehicle wirelessly at any number of locations without worry that a specific wireless charging station won’t be compatible with their car or truck. Although the standard has been written to create a norm for stationary wireless charging systems, the SAE is looking toward the future and acknowledges within the published document that it is open to creating standards for wireless charging systems that work while the vehicle is in motion.

Read Full Article