Stercom has gained Tesvolt as a strategic co-partner. Two innovation leaders in the fields of energy storage and innovative charging technology and high-performance storage are thus pooling their expertise. Among other things, the two companies want to join forces to drive forward the wireless charging of electric cars, buses and lorries and thus make electric driving even faster, more efficient and more cost-effective. Tesvolt, as an expert in electricity storage systems that has already been honoured with several innovation awards, and the think tank for high-performance charging are sure to provide the right answers to unanswered questions in the near future.
Unlimited range with ‘opportunity charging’
‘Stercom is an absolute technology specialist and one of the first to develop really good products in the field of induction charging,’ explains Simon Schandert, founder and Technical Director of Tesvolt. ‘Our goal is to jointly bring highly efficient charging systems to the market and even enable inductive supercharging with up to 200 kW charging power in the medium term. This would also make charging while driving efficient in the future.’
In wireless charging, electrical energy is transferred inductively, i.e. without contact, from a magnetic coil in or on the ground to the receiver coil in the electric vehicle. This makes many short but fast charging processes possible - for example in front of shopping centres, in multi-storey car parks, but also at home. Car manufacturers such as Audi and BMW are already installing charging coils in new vehicle models.
Inductive 44 kW charging station
‘So far, series-ready wireless charging is only standard at 3.2 kW. We want to launch an inductive charging station with a charging capacity of 44 kW, which means charging 14 times faster,’ explains Daniel Hannemann, founder and Commercial Director of Tesvolt. ‘Stercom's market-ready silicon carbide technology enables highly efficient energy transmission with 95 per cent efficiency - and a distance of up to 20 cm between the transmitter and receiver coils, which no other provider on the market can offer.’ The charging stations will also contain intelligent software that shows the parking pilot the correct vehicle position above the magnetic coil.
Cheaper e-cars thanks to smaller batteries
‘The many small charging processes make large traction batteries superfluous for many applications; the batteries only need to be around half the size. This makes e-mobility significantly cheaper and also lighter, and therefore more efficient, especially in regular and urban operation,’ says Robert Sterff, founder and CEO of Stercom. However, short charging processes with high power place higher demands on the vehicle battery. ‘A lot of research is being carried out in Germany into solid-state batteries, which are particularly well suited to this. Charging wherever the opportunity arises is one of the keys to truly efficient e-mobility’
First Vehicles Charge Wirelessly
There are still several challenges with inductive charging. For instance, the question of how to bill for wireless charging remains unresolved. Additionally, the relevant DIN standard 61980-1, which pertains to "Contactless Energy Transfer Systems for Electric Vehicles," is still under development. "Special vehicles and test vehicles from international manufacturers are already using inductive supercharging, with Stercom supplying some of the vehicle-side equipment," reports Sterff. Wireless charging is a key component for a carbon-free mobile future. Test tracks with magnetic coils embedded in the asphalt already exist in countries like Italy, France, and Sweden. BMW predicts widespread inductive charging by 2030.
