Genesis GV60 could feature WiTricity’s wireless charging tech

Hyundai’s Motor Group’s luxury arm, Genesis, recently unveiled the GV60 electric SUV. According to reports, the SUV, due to be launched next year globally, will come with in-built wireless charging.

According to an article in Green Car Reports, Genesis confirmed that wireless charging will start off as a test or pilot program in South Korea late next year. Of course, technical details haven’t been announced, but the report states that WiTricity will be the company’s supplier for the wireless charging tech.

Genesis GV60 charging

The interiors and exterior of the Genesis GV60 were unveiled digitially on August 19, however, none of the battery and powertrain specifications were revealed. The GV60, however, does sit on the E-GMP platform that also underpins the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the upcoming Kia EV6, so we expect similar specifications as well as the 800-volt architecture and 350 kW ultra-rapid charging.

While the Hyundai Motor Group has acknowledged that it is working on wireless technology and that the E-GMP can house it with a few modifications, wireless tech is available on neither of the current E-GMP cars. According to the j2954 wireless charging standards released by SAE International, the home charging values will be 7 kW or 11 kW which means that they will offer the speed as a wallbox charger. But a wireless charging kit will improve convenience in home-charging. With this tech, customers will not have to hassle with plugging the car in and out. It’s one less task for the consumer and involves no cables.

According to an article in ETNews on November 13, 2020, Genesis has also been planning to introduce Plug and Charge technology. This will come with public charging and will communicate with the charging station and manage payments as well. Similar to how payments are managed by electronic toll collection systems the user would not have to provide their credit cards or corresponding pay cards to pay for their charging times.

How wireless charging works

A charging pad is placed on the floor and the car’s receiver pad has to be directly above it for charging to start. With this, however, also comes a question of efficiency. According to its website, WiTricity states that chargers with a ground clearance of 10 inches could have an efficiency of 94 percent. This is due to the protection blocks that are added to the equipment to protect, both your home and vehicle.

Finally, there’s the question of cost. Of course, the price of wireless charging tech will far exceed that of conventional wall plug-ins and is more suited to premium car brands. Aftermarket wireless charging tech has been available for a long time, however, so far it’s only been a niche product with not a lot of takers.

Featured image source: Genesis