Skip to main content

Wireless electric vehicle charging system sales ‘to exceed 280,000 by 2020’

According to new research from Pike Research, a part of Navigant’s Energy Practice, until recently, wireless charging equipment for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) has had all the characteristics of a promising technology in search of a market. In the last six to twelve months, however, this has begun to change. Nearly all of the major PEV manufacturers have announced partnerships to develop wireless charging systems, and there are signs that such systems, installed at the factory or added at the dealershi
December 24, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
According to new research from 5644 Pike Research, a part of Navigant’s Energy Practice, until recently, wireless charging equipment for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) has had all the characteristics of a promising technology in search of a market. In the last six to twelve months, however, this has begun to change.

Nearly all of the major PEV manufacturers have announced partnerships to develop wireless charging systems, and there are signs that such systems, installed at the factory or added at the dealership, could become a market differentiator for electric vehicle (EV) models. Pike Research now predicts sales of wireless EV charging equipment will grow steadily through the remainder of the decade, reaching annual sales of 283,000 by 2020.

“They have also made other benefits of wireless charging, including the alleviation of range anxiety through frequent, brief top-offs via embedded, automatic wireless charging systems, much more evident. The experiences of EV owners have strengthened the case that the convenience of charging could be a major factor in purchase decisions,” says Pike editorial director Richard Martin.

 “They have also made other benefits of wireless charging, including the alleviation of range anxiety through frequent, brief top-offs via embedded, automatic wireless charging systems, much more evident.”

Many trials with OEM vehicles commenced in 2012. Publicly announced wireless charging vendor relationships include: 189 Siemens with 1731 BMW; WiTricity with Delphi and with car makers 1686 Toyota, 4962 Mitsubishi, and 2125 Audi; 213 Qualcomm with 2453 Renault and 33 Delta Motorsports; and 6265 Evatran with SPX Service Solutions, 1691 Google, 6266 Hertz and others. Currently, wireless EV charging systems are not on the commercial market, but at least one vendor intends to bring a system to market in the first half of 2013.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Grenoble smart city project to launch in October
    July 2, 2014
    Urban transport of the future will become a reality in October in the French city of Grenoble thanks to a partnership between the City and the Metropolitan Area of Grenoble, French energy company EDF, Japanese car maker Toyota and Citélib, a local car-sharing operator. Toyota is contributing 70 of its i-Road and Coms ultra-compact personal mobility electric vehicles to a three-year integrated electric vehicle (EV) car sharing and public transport test project that is being launched in Grenoble, France in
  • Scania and Siemens partner on electric vehicles
    March 12, 2013
    Scania and Siemens have entered into a partnership which will integrate Siemens technology to power vehicles with Scania's expertise in the electrification of powertrains in trucks and buses. The companies say the partnership means that Sweden may become the world's first country with electrically powered trucks and electrified roads for commercial use. Both companies have been working on the possibilities for electrically powered vehicles; Scania has explored the possibilities of electrifying the powertrai
  • Vienna’s first electric bus goes into operation
    October 31, 2012
    The first electric bus (eBus) to be used in Austria’s capital city of Vienna has been put into service by the municipal transport authority, Wiener Linien, the first operator in Europe to implement and integrate eBuses into scheduled service. Designed and developed by Siemens Rail Systems and bus manufacturer Rampini, the vehicle is the first of twelve with which Wiener Linien intends to move two of the city's bus services to electric power by the summer of 2013. The vehicle’s total energy requirement is st
  • Car to car communications a step closer
    December 14, 2012
    Vehicle manufacturers have targeted 2015 for the first cars to roll off European assembly lines fitted with operational V2X technology. They and their partners in the Car 2 Car Communications Consortium are confident of meeting the target, reports Jon Masters. Around three years from now vehicles should be appearing in showrooms boasting the capability of communicating with each other. Manufacturers will have started fitting the first proprietary car-to-car driver-aid safety devices and deployment of ‘vehic