Toyota to add Wireless Charging to Plug-In Prius

During the recent Toyota Hybrid World Tour Satoshi Ogiso, Managing Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation said Toyota will begin verification of a wireless/inductive charging system system in Japan, the US and Europe in 2014.

We have been listening very carefully to Prius PHV owners over the past two years… and are considering their requests for additional all-electric range.

We have also heard from these owners, that they would like a more convenient charging operation. In response, we are developing a new wireless/inductive charging system that produces resonance between an on-floor coil and an onboard coil to recharge the battery without the fuss of a cable.

We will begin verification of the system in Japan, the US and Europe in 2014.

Nissan recently said they are working on an open source wireless induction charging system and that five future Nissan-brand EVs will use inductive charging.

No doubt this will become yet another standards battle as we have seen with CHAdeMo vs SAE J1772 and Tesla setting their own fast charging standard.

A good question to ask at this point is, when will Tesla announce wireless induction charging across it's Supercharger network?

Source: Toyota

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