Nissan bags patent related to wireless charging technology for EVs

Japanese auto major Nissan Motor Company has received an Indian patent for its wireless charging technology for electric vehicle, which could help the vehicle to charge without connecting with a charging device. The system allows charging an EV without a connecting cable, simply by parking it on a designated spot, much like charging an electric toothbrush or shaver, according to the company.  

The technology, for which the company filed a patent application on December, 2013, describes a power feeding coil and a power receiving coil and sensors which could sense the output values of the power transmission to detect any obstacle between these two coils. 

When the vehicle is parked at a specific parking position, the power feeding coil will be positioned below the power receiving coil under the vehicle, without both getting into direct contact.

Electric power is supplied through magnetic induction, in which as the power feeding coil is electrically charged, it would generate a magnetic field that induces current in the secondary coil, and charges the batteries. The company has also developed an advanced parking assist, to help the user to park the car properly at the designated location to help proper charging. 

The patent office has granted the application earlier this week, after all the requirements for the procedure were met and hearing the company's submission.

The approval also comes at a time when the company is expected to launch its electric car, the Nissan Lear, in India during this year. The company, in January this year, told reporters that the car will be launched in India as part of its efforts to bring in eco-friendly technologies to the country. The model is part of Nissan's Intelligent Mobility offerings across the country. 

In March, 2019, the company had announced about Nissan Leaf becoming the first electric car in history to surpass 4,00,000 sales across the globe, confirming its leadership in the world in the segment. 

The company which started first mass production of the EV, Nissan Leaf, in 2010 and in 2014, it has reached worldwide sales of 1,00,000 units. In 2015, the sales doubled and the company updated the product with a 30 kWh battery. In 2017, the company launched the second-generation Nissan Leaf, with ProPilot semiautonomous driving system, ProPilot Park, a parking assistant and e-Pedal, which allows the driver to start, accelerate, decelerate and stop the vehicle using only the accelerator pedal.

In 2018, the sales of this vehicle has reached 3,00,000 units worldwide. Nissan Leaf cars have driven more than 10 billion kilometers in total, said the company in March.

The product has been made available in more than 50 markets globally, till March, 2019, and will go on sale in six new markets in Latin America in the first half of this year and seven in Asia and Oceania by the end of the year, it said.