Jaguar Land Rover and the Norwegian capital Oslo put a fleet of wireless rechargeable electric car taxis into operation. The aim of the partnership in the "ElectriCity" project is to set up an infrastructure for quick, wireless charging of taxis in the Oslo area.
The British carmaker is delivering 25 copies of the battery-powered SUV crossover Jaguar I-Pace for the first phase of the test. Jaguar I-PACE is designed to use Momentum Dynamics wireless charging technology, making the model ideal for this particular task.
In addition to Jaguar Land Rover, the city of Oslo and Momentum Dynamics, the partners of the pilot project also include the Scandinavian taxi operator Cabonline and the largest charging station operator in the region, Fortum Recharge.
In the system tested in Oslo, several loading plates with charging capacities of 50 to 75 kW each are embedded in the ground at central holding bays. As a result, the vehicles waiting for customers at the taxi stand can draw electricity automatically and wirelessly. The electric taxis should be able to run 24/7 without long downtimes.
The safe, energy-efficient, high-performance and wireless charging platform will prove to be crucial for fleets of electric vehicles - the infrastructure is more efficient than refuelling a conventionally powered vehicle
The wireless charging project is part of the plan to make all transport and taxi systems in the Oslo area emission-free by 2024.
The I-Pace used in Oslo has been built since 2018. Jaguar introduced the new I-Pace model this month , which, among other things, comes standard with a more powerful three-phase charger and a more modern infotainment system.
Arild Hermstad, Oslo’s vice mayor for environment and transport, said in a statement: "We’re delighted to welcome private enterprises to help us to turn our vision into reality.
"As part of our commitment to reducing emissions by 95 per cent before 2030, we have put many exciting measures in place, but transport continues to be a key challenge.
"By improving infrastructure and providing better charging to the taxi industry, we are confident that by 2024 all taxis in Oslo will be zero-emission.
"To reach our goal, the public sector, politicians and private enterprises must come together, as we do in this project."
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