Oslo will be the world’s first city to install wireless charging stations for electric taxis, in a bid to make a zero-emission cab system by as early as 2023.
Oslo Municipality is working with Finnish utilities firm Fortum to install charging plates in the road that connect to energy receivers in the vehicles themselves, making Norway the first country inthis area. The goal is to make it as easy as possible to charge electric taxis, as doing so now is cumbersome, time-consuming, and expensive. Using induction, which is more energy efficient, the taxis can be charged as they wait in what’s known as a taxi rank, or a slow-moving queue where cabs line up to wait for passengers.
The project aims to install wireless charging using induction technology. Charging plates are installed in the ground where the taxi is parked and a receiver is installed in the taxi. This allows for charging up to 75 kilowatts. The project will be the first wireless fast-charging infrastructure for electric taxis anywhere in the world, and will also help the further development of wireless charging technology for all EV drivers, writes Fortum.
The wireless fast-charging project aims to solve these issues and thereby reduce climate emissions from the taxi sector – not only in Norway, but in the entire world.
Norway is mandating that all new cars sold in the country be all-electric by 2025.
