Renault has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with telecommunications giant Qualcomm for the preliminary integration of Halo WEVC technologies into some Renault vehicles. All sounds very complicated but in layman's terms it means that the French car manufacturer will fit its electric cars with Qualcomm's wireless charging system that could signal the end of cables.
As part of the agreement Renault will participate in the Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC) London trial that will test the viability of the Qualcomm system that uses a charging mat, fitted to the underside of the car to receive power from coils embedded in the ground.
"Our participation in the WEVC London trial with Qualcomm complements Renault's European research & development project involving 10 partners to demonstrate wireless inductive charging of electric vehicles in a public environment with a high level of performance and safety," said Jacques Hebrard, VP Energy and Environment Advanced Projects Director at Renault. "The deployment of wireless inductive charging requires inter-operability between cars and ground systems within common European and, hopefully, worldwide standards."