The German automotive technology company Continental Engineering Services (CES), is working with an Austrian startup called ‘Volterio’ to build a smart EV-charging robot that can charge electric vehicles (EVs) autonomously. The mass manufacturing of this autonomous EV-charging robot is set to begin in 2024.
Volterio sells automatic EV charging systems and CES created its own product in the past. Both the firms have now teamed up to create a robot that can charge EVs without the need for human input.
According to the companies, this autonomous charging robot comprises a component attached to the electric vehicle’s undercarriage as well as a charging unit on the floor. The two components connect via ultra-broadband communication when the driver approaches a parking spot with an EV charging system. The EV’s floor charging unit also automatically aligns with the undercarriage receiver and charges the battery onboard with the help of this technology.
The companies claim that ultra-broadband communication is used for alignment, with no loss of power during charging due to the physical connection between the units. This technology eliminates the effort of drivers to park their cars precisely because the floor unit can adjust its positioning by up to 30 centimeters. Unlike current electric vehicles, this autonomous EV-charging robot essentially eliminates the need for manual connection and is said to be safer and faster to operate than the existing wire-based EV charging technology.
CES’s Managing Director, Christoph Falk-Gierlinge, considers the autonomous charging robot a significant step forward in the evolution of making electric transportation more practical and feasible for daily usage.
Volterio is in charge of bringing the system to near-production status by mid-2022 as per its agreement with CES, and the latter will oversee the project when it nears volume production in Germany by 2024.
