With the Genesis GV60, you can charge without a plug

Hyundai Motor Co. is rolling out a wireless charging system for its latest premium electric crossover, the GV60, amid intensifying competition among global automakers for no plug-in charges.

The top South Korean automaker said on Thursday it is launching a pilot wireless charging service at three wireless charging points in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi Province for some of its Genesis cars, Hyundai’s standalone luxury brand.

The service will initially be available only for the GV60 equipped with a wireless charging system and expanded to include all the electric cars Hyundai will launch in the future.

Charging starts automatically when a vehicle equipped with a receiver pad is parked over a ground pad at the wireless EV charging station, according to Hyundai.

With the power output of 11 kW, the global wireless charging standard, it will take about eight hours to reach a nearly full charge, compared to plugging in for 10 hours or longer at public stations or home wall chargers, it said.

Industry watchers said the system will be particularly useful for EVs that can be parked for long hours at buildings such as shopping malls as well as homes with private garages.

Hyundai’s Genesis GV60, launched last year, is at the forefront of technology solutions, offering innovative devices, including Face Connect and its Fingerprint Authentication System. Each model features a 77.4 kWh battery.

When charging at 350 kW with the ultra-speed plug-in charging function, the GV60’s battery charge can go from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes.

CUTTING THE CORD

Hyundai Motor’s pilot service comes as global EV makers and battery suppliers are competitively entering the wireless charging and battery replacement markets.

China’s leading EV battery manufacturer, Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. (CATL), said last month it is rolling out a battery swap service, targeting owners of battery-powered electric vehicles, known as BEVs.

The company said it will roll out the Evogo service initially in 10 cities across China, the world’s largest electric car market.

Evogo users can choose to swap between one and three battery blocks depending on their range requirements. Each block offers a range of around 200 km, according to CATL.

Battery swapping offers key advantages over recharging stations, including quicker turnarounds and also enables consumers to buy an EV without a battery at a lower cost, then subsequently subscribe to a battery lease program.

Nio Inc., a Chinese EV maker, runs about 700 battery swapping networks across China.

Some companies are even building an electric road system to allow EVs running on the road to charge automatically.

Israel’s Electreon Wireless, a provider of wireless and in-road wireless EV charging technology, said earlier this month it will deploy a public wireless EV charging road system in the US.

Electreon is already operating pilot programs in Germany, Italy and Sweden, and is preparing to execute a recently signed commercial deal to provide a plug-free charging network for 200 public buses in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The government of Norway, where electric cars account for nearly 90% of all cars sold, is also considering rolling out an in-road wireless EV system, according to industry officials.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.