Toyota Takes Vehicle Charging Wireless

The year 2015 is just around the corner, and according to the 80’s movie “Back to the Future”, cars are supposed to fly. Unfortunately we’re not there yet but Toyota, the pioneer in hybrid vehicle tech is starting something new. Toyota has just started testing wireless charging for hybrid and electric vehicles, similar to a wireless charging pad for smartphones and tablets, but on a larger scale. Wireless charging occurs when a vehicle parks over an electric coil placed on the pavement via magnetic-resonance technology. An intelligent park assist feature helps the driver line up the car for an optimal charging position. This convenience eliminates the need to physically plug the vehicle into an electrical source. Toyota has just started testing this feature on 3 different plug-in hybrid vehicles in Japan and will go on for a year. Perhaps this is just the start in making electrical vehicles 100% mobile by applying these electrical coils on roadways, virtually eliminating the need to park a PHV or EV for recharging. Imagine that!