VinFast Delivers First US Cars, Researchers Debut 500 kW Wireless Charging

The Vietnamese EV maker VinFast has sold its first few VF8 SUV’s, induction technology makes wireless charging easier.

The first 45 VinFast SUV’s have been delivered to customers in California. According to DriveTeslaCanada, VinFast CEO Gareth Dunsmore has an optimistic outlook. He noted, “it’s extremely gratifying in fulfilling our delivery promise and to witness the excitement our customers have for the VinFast brand.”

Things haven’t been so easy for the brand, however. An initial range (later rectified) of 179 miles wasn’t really quite at industry standard. Plus, with an initial shipment of about 1,000 vehicles last year, there’s a lot of unsold inventory. Prices – and margins – will be coming down, too, in response to Tesla’s own price cuts, and the company no longer qualifies for EV tax credits either. Add on to that some economic worry about ongoing inflation and a recession, and you have a stressful time for VinFast and any other newer EV maker.

University Researchers Demonstrate 500 kW Wireless Charging for BEVs

Wireless charging exists for phones, and may soon become a solution for cars, too. Techxplore reports that Chalmers University of Technology researchers have demonstrated new wireless induction technology for high-power applications like vehicles.

In the above photo, Yujing Liu, Professor of Electric Power at the Department of Electrical Engineering at Chalmers, demonstrates their 500 kW system, which utilizes a new type of silicon carbide semiconductor as well as a new type of ultra-thin copper wire. Combined, they allow higher frequencies between sending and receiving coils. Oscillation of that magnetic field is how the transfer of power works. Greater oscillation, greater power transfer.

Reason for the ferries? They dock and wait for cargo to come on board for hours at a time, making it an ideal solution to use electric power instead of diesel. Plus, with high rates of energy transfer, any charging cables for these kinds of big batteries would be incredibly heavy. Wireless transfer of power, even if slower, is a perfect solution to this.

Wired charging for cars is convenient and easy enough, so wireless charing right now is not making any improvements. But, we do see this potentially becoming an at-home solution. Place a charging pad in your garage, park, and get a fresh charge in the morning. The convenience alone may be worth the cost.

Join the Electric Vehicle forums now!

Photos courtesy of DriveTeslaCanada, Chalmers University of Technology