Finnish clean-energy company Fortum, in cooperation with American wireless charging specialist Momentum Dynamics, is building a wireless fast-charging infrastructure for electric taxis in Norway’s capital Oslo.
The project will use induction technology for wireless charging, with charging plates installed in the ground where the taxi is parked and a receiver installed in the taxi. This will allow for charging up to 75 kilowatts.
The project will be the first wireless fast-charging infrastructure for electric taxis anywhere in the world, and will also help the further development of wireless charging technology for all electric vehicle drivers.
Makes charging faster, easier and automatic
Fortum Charge & Drive has long been working with the taxi industry to enable electrification of the taxi fleet. The greatest hurdle has proved to be the infrastructure: It is too time consuming for taxi drivers to find a charger, plug in and then wait for the electric car to charge. The wireless fast-charging project aims to solve these issues and thereby reduce climate emissions from the taxi sector – not only in Norway, but in the entire world.
“We will install the wireless chargers at taxi stands, such as the one at the Oslo Central Station. Taxis will be able to drive up to the charger and a wireless charging session will automatically start. This allows the taxis to charge in a place where they would anyway be waiting for new customers. The difference is that they won’t be emitting exhaust while waiting, instead they will be receiving renewable energy to charge the taxi’s battery,” said Annika Hoffner, Head of Fortum Charge & Drive.
Oslo’s taxis to be emissions free by 2023
“The future is electric, and it is already here, right now. Wireless charging is a potential game changer. From 2023 onward, all taxis in Oslo will be zero emission. Together with the taxi industry we will make sure that the shift is as user friendly and efficient as possible,” said Sture Portvik, the City of Oslo’s Electro Mobility Manager.
“We believe this project will provide the world with the model it needs for keeping electric taxis in continuous 24/7 operation. It will build on the success we have demonstrated with electric buses, which also need to be automatically charged throughout the day in order to stay in operation,” said CEO Andrew Daga of Momentum Dynamics.
Fortum and the City of Oslo are now inviting interested automakers to join them in this unique project.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.