Researchers Develop High-Efficiency Wireless Charging for NEVs
Guangzhou (ANTARA) - Researchers from Chinese and British research institutions have successfully developed a wireless charging system for New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) with a conversion efficiency rate exceeding 98 per cent.
The system is capable of supporting large-scale autonomous vehicle use and holds potential across various sectors, including rail-based transport, industrial robots, and low-altitude aircraft.
A fully automated charging solution that requires no manual intervention is considered key to the commercial launch of autonomous vehicles. Inductive power transfer is widely regarded as the ideal method for such charging.
However, the ferrite-core solutions currently in common use still face challenges regarding efficiency, power density, and thermal stability. Increasing power density and thermal stability while maintaining high efficiency has been a primary obstacle in wireless charging technology.
Researchers from the Dongguan Institute of Materials Science and Technology in southern Guangdong, China, under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with the City University of Hong Kong, the University of Cambridge, and the CAS Institute of Physics, have developed a 20 kW class wireless charging system for NEVs based on nanocrystalline alloys, achieving a conversion efficiency of 98.51 per cent.
Their research, recently published in Nature Communications, describes a magnetic core structure resembling a flyover that is capable of meeting long-term high-temperature requirements for wireless charging.
The magnetic core strip produced by the team measures 440 mm in length, 330 mm in width, and 4 mm in thickness. Its thickness is only half that of conventional ferrite solutions, yet it is capable of supporting higher power density.
The performance of this system is expected to become increasingly optimal, with further improvements to charging efficiency anticipated. The Dongguan Institute of Materials Science and Technology is also working towards the industrial application of this system.
According to the institute, this new system can be applied not only to autonomous vehicles but also extended to rail-based transport, automated tracking vehicles in the industrial sector, and low-altitude aircraft.
In September, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, along with eight other ministries, announced a five-year plan for the intelligent and connected NEV industry, effective from 2026 to 2030.
The plan proposes that by 2030, vehicles with autonomous driving functions will be widely deployed in China, with highly automated driving systems implemented across various scenarios such as highways, urban expressways, and several urban roads.