Lectrifi Limited has joined a licensing agreement to supply wireless charging stations for electric vehicles. The deal targets China, where the EV sector grew 48% year on year during 2017.
That market is guarded by domestic brands. Because entry for foreign automakers looks limited, early movers face a captive audience in a fast-growing sector.
Through a series of joint projects, Lectrifi has teamed up with the design and manufacturing arms of several automotive corporations. Together they are building practical answers to the charging needs of the expanding EV market.
The company’s Chief Technology Officer said the main hurdle, especially in China, has been a standard technology. A vehicle’s power source needs to accept a charge at any of the planned stations. That has to work wherever the stations are placed.
He explained that Lectrifi designs its core technology with cross-compatibility in mind. Even so, a wider rollout has depended on changes at every partner. Each one contributes technology to the final product, so each one has to adjust its design process.
After this breakthrough, he said, Lectrifi is pleased to be part of the new agreement. It brings several key automotive players together. Their shared task is a standard technology for the next generation of Chinese EVs. The same standard should also serve the infrastructure that supports those cars.
Because its earlier partnership programs went well, Lectrifi enters the agreement as the lead technology developer. In that role, its engineering technicians will advise partners as pilot programs roll out, as early as February 2018.
