New charging technology comes with no wires attached

For now, conductive charging using plugs is state of the art in the world of EV charging, but research and demonstration projects are under way to determine whether wireless charging has a future.

Researchers and engineers are making progress in understanding and advancing wireless vehicle charging, but no consensus has emerged regarding predictions about the extent to which the technology will make inroads vs. the incumbent vehicle charging technology: conductive (sometimes called cabled).

Asked when they expect to sell their first full or partial electric vehicle with no-wires-attached charging capability, automakers told Automotive Engineering International that they don't reveal such information about future product plans. Ford went a little further than the others in answering several questions about the rollout of wireless charging. Here is “our position” according to Ford spokesman Alan Hall:

Inductive charging technology continues to progress, with power transfer capabilities demonstrated in the range that plug-in vehicles require (3-7 kW)

Inductive charging under real-world conditions still has many challenges that need to be resolved, and therefore Ford's efforts are still in the research phase

If we do overcome all the real-world challenges, it is our intention that we would continue to offer the J1772 connection as the standard connector, and any secondary charge system would be optional.