Along with Tesla and BMW, there is another automotive giant developing wireless charging system for electric vehicles and is now close to completion. To put their technology to the test, Hyundai and Kia selected Kia's Soul EV as the test vehicle. 

Wireless charging technology has great potential to make the use of electric vehicles more user-friendly and convenient, thus also making it more appealing and easier to accept among potential buyers – with smaller battery pack sizes and reduced vehicle weight being one of the most engaging and promising things to look forward to. Sadly, this new technology comes with some flaws. To make current systems for wireless charging electric cars by induction really a part of your daily routine, engineers need to develop new methods, which don't require the charger and the receiver in the car to be perfectly aligned.

The wireless charging system has now been developed by Hyundai America Technical Center, HATCI – the design, technology and engineering arm for all North American models of the Korean-based Hyundai-KIA Automotive Group. The project is also being financially endorsed by the American department of energy, DOE.

The technology has already passed a lot of testing within several laboratory development phases. In this final phase, they intend to employ five electric Soul EV Kias, which will be put to the practical test to discover how the wireless charging performs outside the lab, in real-world situations. Testing is said to particularly focus on the system's durability, interoperability, and safety.

Aug. 28, 2015 Driving photo: Kia

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