BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Electric bicycle firms are in discussion to introduce wireless charging to their e-bike ranges, BikeBiz can reveal.
As UK interest in the electric bicycle sector grows, following success in Northern European territories, unnamed e-bike firms have been approached by wireless charging technology companies to apply the tech to the bicycle sector.
Last month, Halo IPT’s wireless charging technology for electric vehicles was been acquired by Nasdaq listed Qualcomm.
Halo IPT technology, developed by Arup and Auckland Uniservices, was founded in May 2010 with the objective of bringing its wireless technology to the market for road vehicle applications on a global scale.
A spokesperson for the firm told BikeBiz: “Absolutely the technology can be used for electric bikes. It charges over a big air gap, which is a key point – physical distance has been a problem for wireless electric charging, especially for cars.
“There have been some discussions with electric bicycle firms,” the firm told BikeBiz. “And we’ve been talking about e-bike schemes.
“If you take the Boris Bikes in London – it would be very straightforward and easy to build wireless charging into the docking stations, particularly as it would only be a small air gap. It’s a relatively fast charge too.”
Halo is one of a handful of companies working with the burgeoning technology.
“Electric vehicles hold great promise,” said John Miles, exec chairman of Halo IPT and a director at Arup. “HaloIPT demonstrates the value of Arup’s investment of time and resources in activities we feel can make a real difference to the world around us – like developing skills and knowledge needed for a global shift to low carbon economy.”
Qualcomm revealed a wireless electric vehicle charging trial – aimed at the electric car industry – in London last month, working with the UK Government and Transport for London.
