Wireless EV Charging Is Coming: Here’s How It Works [Video]

A nationwide electric vehicle charging network is still in the works, but some automakers are experimenting with what could be the next big thing: wireless EV charging.

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) published official standards in 2020, and automakers are now quietly testing and prototyping. While it’s hard to say exactly what will be available and when, there’s a good chance it’ll be modeled off technology from Massachusetts-based WiTricity, which licensed its intellectual property to Wiferon, the German wireless EV charging supplier that Tesla acquired in July 2023.

“The whole industry is like, ‘OK, Tesla bought a wireless charging company. It’s coming,'” says Nathan Yang, chief product officer at FLO EV Charging. “A bunch of other companies are prototyping, too—BMW, [Volvo parent company] Geely, Hyundai/Genesis, others.”

Research firms are also chasing wireless solutions, with a recent breakthrough coming out of Oak Ridge National Lab.

PCMag got an up-close look at WiTricity’s technology at last year’s Move America conference, and what …