The new charging innovation developed by Austrian start-up Easelink will be presented in a new vehicle platform launched by GWM subsidiary WEY. Matrix Charging automates the charging process for electric vehicles (EVs), eliminating the need for manually connecting and disconnecting the cable. The cable-free charging system is delivered by a connector located in the vehicle undercarriage. This lowers automatically to connect with a pad situated on the ground. The charging process takes place entirely unobserved by the user, meaning that time spent standing still can be used as charging time, including in parking spaces and drive-ins and also potentially at traffic light intersections. The exact parking position does not matter.
A charging power of up to 43 kW (DC) or 22 kW (AC) is achieved via the connector and pad, at an efficiency of over 99 percent. Easelink claims that inductive solutions do not achieve even a quarter of these values.
After a joint appearance at the Guangzhou Automotive Show and the IAA, GWM has announced its support for Matrix Charging for a third time.
“As a system, the pads and connectors are many times less expensive than existing and upcoming charging solutions, making them suitable for mass introduction” said Jens Steingräber, head of brand management at WEY.
Easelink founder Hermann Stockinger added that the time spent standing still, potentially becoming a charging opportunity for electric vehicles, increases the perceived range of electric cars, thereby addressing one of the largest obstacles to electric mobility. Preparations are being made for a GWM series production with the Easelink technology and the company is confident of it becoming an international standard for electric vehicle charging in forthcoming years. In addition to WEY, many other European car makers are currently validating ‘Matrix Charging’.
Image: Easelink
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