SAE STANDARDS NEWS

Moving EV wireless charging toward a global standard

The next big enabler for electric vehicles is wireless charging, a technology planned to be commercialized by 2020 by some automakers and infrastructure suppliers alike. “Wireless power transfer is just starting now in consumer electronics in the low wattage range (such as the iWatch and upcoming iPhone 8) and in just a few years is set to penetrate the vehicle market in the kW range. The most important task at hand is to create a worldwide standard,” explained Jesse Schneider, Chairman of the SAE J2954 Task Force on Wireless Charging and Alignment.

It is projected a significant percentage of next generation EVs will be sold with a wireless charging option. SAE J2954-which specifies the minimum performance and safety limits and seamless interoperability of wireless power transfer (WPT)-is the key standard to the success of both EVs and autonomous vehicle fleets.