WiTricity will be one of the founding members of the Japanese EV Wireless Power Transfer Council. The organization includes Daihen Corporation, Kansai Electric Power, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Sinanen Corporation and WiTricity. The company said the council was created to pave the way for the adoption of wireless EV charging in Japan.
“Together with these Japanese industry leaders, WiTricity will help promote wireless charging and vehicle-to-grid technology, prove business models and drive deployment,” Alex Gruzen, CEO of WiTricity, said.
The Massachusetts-based company also announced that it is establishing WiTricity Japan KK as it grows its staff in Japan to support Japanese customers and numerous wireless power transfer projects in the country.
Japan has challenges and characteristics that make wireless EV charging particularly valuable in helping to drive EV adoption, WiTricity said. Space constraints in enormous, densely populated cities make the plug-in stations familiar in the US challenging to accommodate, whereas wireless charging requires less real estate. According to the company, automated parking garages can provide charging without the need for a person to plug in their vehicle.
On the commercial side, WiTricity said wireless charging brings operational cost advantages to fleet electrification, which is well underway in the market, particularly for package delivery.
WiTricity also previously launched its FastTrack Integration Program for automotive OEMs for an initial vehicle integration in three months, increasing an automaker’s ability to test wireless charging on existing and future EV platforms, it said.
