Toyota Motor Corporation and Massachusetts-based WiTricity Corporation have entered into a technical collaboration agreement aimed at accelerating the development and subsequent implementation of an automotive wireless battery charging system. The move by TMC, which involves an undisclosed capital investment in WiTricity, comes as a follow-up move related to its Toyota Global Vision program that was announced in March.
The charging system developed by WiTricity dispenses with conventional plug-in cables in favor of wireless resonance, which is even more effective than the electromagnetic-induction systems that are also now in various stages of development. In making this announcement, TMC said it believes that resonance wireless charging is suitable for automobiles and aims for its early practical use.
WiTricity was formed in 2007 to commercialize a breakthrough form of electric resonance charging technology that was invented at the nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2010, WiTricity signed a similar agreement with Delphi Automotive to develop a similar system of automatic charging packages that could be easily used by EV and Hybrid vehicles. According to WiTricity, its system can transfer over 3,300 watts — enough to fully charge an electric car — as quickly and efficiently as most residential plug-in chargers.
