Three-year test in Sweden will use XC40s and charging pads embedded into the street

Volvo is testing a new wireless charging technology it hopes to bring to its future range of electric cars.

A fleet of electric XC40s will take part in the three-year test in Sweden, run as taxis and charged using stations developed by a company called Momentum Dynamics.

The stations send energy through charging pads embedded into the street, which is then picked up by a receiver unit inside each XC40. To better align with each pad, the XC40s will be equipped with 360-degree cameras, and we’re told the pads can charge at more than 40kW.

Each XC40 is to be used for more than 12 hours a day during the test, and Volvo wants to rack up 100,000km per year; a side test of the durability of EVs in commercial use.

“Gothenburg Green City Zone lets us try exciting new technologies in a real environment and evaluate them over time for a potential future broader introduction,” explains Volvo’s R&D boss Mats Moberg.

“Testing new charging technologies together with selected partners is a good way to evaluate alternative charging options for our future cars,” he added.

Here's an idea: for successful deployment in the UK, why don't we kill two birds with one stone and stick a wireless pad in every pothole in the country? Charging solved overnight. You're welcome.