News

Evatran and Yazaki Partner to Develop Plugless Power to EVs

June 01, 2011 by Jeff Shepard

Evatran, the developer of the Plugless Power™ electric vehicle (EV) inductive recharging system, and Yazaki North America have signed a Joint Development Agreement to develop and market Plugless Power technology to automotive manufacturers as a factory or dealership option. With joint resources, Evatran and Yazaki are developing a hands-free charging system to be used in residential, commercial, and industrial applications, eliminating the need to "plug in" to recharge the vehicle’s battery.

Charging with the Plugless Power system is as simple as parking the EV above the floor-mounted parking pad. The solution utilizes proven, induction technology to create a convenient wireless charging system designed specifically for the high-power EV application. The Plugless Power technology transfers up to 3.3kW of power, the level required by most electric vehicle models, at efficiencies above 90 percent, ensuring that vehicles recharge as quickly as with traditional plug-in methods.

"This partnership guarantees that our technology will have the highest level of design reviews, performance testing, and vehicle integration engineering," said Rebecca Hough, Executive Vice President of Sales and Product Development at Evatran. "Yazaki’s experience in the automotive industry will ensure our vision for a simple, convenient EV recharging solution comes to fruition."

Jim Romine, Executive Vice President of Engineering at Yazaki North America said, "Yazaki is proud to be one of the first suppliers committed to assessing and commercializing new technologies for our customers, with a specific focus on sustainable initiatives and hybrid electric vehicles. We look forward to using our technical expertise in the automotive sector to bring this technology to the emerging electric vehicle market."

Yazaki North America is a Tier 1 automotive supplier with headquarters in Canton, Michigan, and is a subsidiary of Yazaki Corporation with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Yazaki supplies products to vehicle manufacturers worldwide with a product portfolio that includes an SAE J1772™ compliant Charge Coupler and assembly along with electrical components for hybrid vehicles.

More news and information regarding the latest developments in Smart Grid electronics can be found at Darnell’s SmartGridElectronics.Net.