Stellantis matches fast charging efficiency on inductive charging road

UPDATE, June 13, 2022: Stellantis matches fast-charging efficiency on inductive charging road

Automotive manufacturer Stellantis has made a breakthrough with its inductive charging road, and it could revolutionise how electric vehicles are charged in future.

Having built its 1.05 kilometre "Arena del Futuro" facility last year (more on this below), Stellantis has been able to replicate the efficiency of roadside fast chargers with its inductive charging road, allowing vehicles to continue driving without needing to stop to charge.

Using the new Fiat 500 as its test vehicle – a model that is set to come to Australia next year – Stellantis was also able to prove the magnetic field generated by the inductive charging tech doesn't have any health impacts on occupants of the car.

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Running on DC rather than AC power, the system benefits from the advantages of direct current such as the ability to use thinner cables for better packaging, future integration into the renewable energy network and the ability to use aluminium cables rather than copper, saving money as well as being easier to recycle.

Stellantis recently announced its Dare Forward campaign, in which it committed to 100 per cent of its sales in Europe to come from EVs by 2030, by which time it aims to offer 75 full EV models.

Read on below to find out more about the wireless charging road.

The story to here

December 8, 2021: Stellantis opens new induction charging test circuit

Wireless charging – it has been around for nearly a decade and has revolutionised how we use everyday items such as smartphones.

However, the quest for wireless charging to be implemented for electric vehicles is a difficult and expensive road – quite literally.

Automotive manufacturer conglomerate Stellantis has opened its first induction charging test facility, based in Italy just off the A35 autostrada, named "Arena del Futuro" or "Arena of the Future".

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Measuring up at 1050 metres and with an electrical output of one megawatt, the circuit will be the primary testing facility for Stellantis's induction charging development.

Here it will be able to trial technology which will allow its vehicles to be charged while on the move, all but eliminating driving range anxiety or the need to stop to recharge.

The manufacturer has wasted no time in getting underway at the circuit, having already racking up laps in the new Fiat 500 and an Iveco E-Way bus to test out the tech – with Anne-Lise Richard, head of the Global e-Mobility Business Unit at Stellantis, saying induction charging will be a major factor for EV adoption in the future.

"This is a cutting-edge solution to provide a concrete answer to the issues of [driving] range and charging, both of which customers are concerned about," said Richard.

"We’re accelerating our role of defining the mobility of the future and, in this sense, DWPT [Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer] technology seems to us to be in line with our desire to offer a concrete response to customers’ requirements.

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"Charging vehicles while they are on the move provides clear advantages in terms of charging times and the size of their batteries.”

Stellantis isn't the first automotive manufacturer to experiment with induction charging – Mercedes-Benz, Ford and BMW have all previously developed pads to slide under vehicles which can wirelessly charge them, although none have been able to do so on a mainstream level as yet.