Leaders of Innovative New Wireless EV Charging Solution Share Their Plans
Wireless EV charging offers significant advantages in convenience, safety, and efficiency, making it a compelling alternative to traditional plug-in systems. By using inductive technology, these systems eliminate the need for cables, allowing drivers to simply park and charge automatically. This seamless process is especially beneficial for fleets and public charging stations, saving time and reducing effort.
Safety is improved by removing exposed cables, which are vulnerable to weather, vandalism, and hazards like tripping or electrocution. Built to withstand harsh conditions and adhering to strict safety standards, wireless systems also minimize wear and tear on charging cables and ports, extending component lifespan and lowering maintenance costs.
Technological advancements have made wireless charging highly efficient, achieving energy transfer rates comparable to plug-in systems, with efficiencies around 90%. These systems can even optimize power output based on the battery’s needs, maintaining fast and effective charging.
Looking to the future, wireless charging could play a pivotal role in enabling autonomous EVs to recharge independently, streamlining operations for fleets like taxis and delivery vehicles and enhancing overall efficiency.
An Innovative New Wireless EV Charging Approach by EV Charging Solutions, LLC (QKOIL)
EV Charging Solutions LLC (QKOIL), based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is revolutionizing wireless EV charging with a more practical and scalable approach. Traditional ground-based systems often require precise vehicle alignment over charging pads, presenting challenges like trip hazards, exposure to road debris, and limited multi-vehicle capability. Similarly, road-integrated solutions demand significant infrastructure investment, making them less feasible for widespread use.
QKOIL addresses these issues with an innovative above-the-vehicle wireless charging system. This design features a transmitting coil mounted on an overhead cable or arm that can move electromechanically to align with a receiving coil on the hood or roof of the EV. By eliminating the need for manual intervention or precise parking, this hands-free system enhances convenience and avoids problems associated with ground-based systems, such as debris damage and moisture exposure.
What truly sets QKOIL apart is its ability to support multi-vehicle charging with a single setup. Using an overhead gantry, the system can traverse multiple parking spaces, sequentially aligning the transmitting coil with each vehicle’s receiving coil for Level 2 charging—ideal for overnight sessions. This configuration is cost-effective, reduces the need for multiple chargers, and maximizes space utilization, making it particularly suitable for apartment complexes, hotels, and public parking areas. QKOIL’s solution offers a forward-thinking, efficient alternative that simplifies wireless EV charging while meeting the needs of diverse settings.
Fleet operators, in particular, benefit from the system’s ability to manage large numbers of EVs with fewer chargers and less manual intervention. By optimizing depot space and reducing infrastructure costs, QKOIL streamlines charging logistics and simplifies fleet management.
The system’s adaptability extends beyond fleets to multi-family housing, hotels, and commercial properties. Its overhead gantry design efficiently serves multiple parking spots, providing a cost-effective and space-saving solution for property owners seeking to offer reliable EV charging for tenants and guests. This innovative approach positions the QKOIL system as a game-changer in EV infrastructure, poised to meet the growing demand for scalable, flexible, and user-friendly charging solutions in a wide range of settings.
QKOIL Secures Patent Approval and Advances Wireless Charging Innovation
EV Charging Solutions, LLC (QKOIL), founded in 2022 by Luis Ortiz and Kermit Lopez, is making strides in the development of a scalable multi-vehicle wireless charging system. With a mission to revolutionize EV infrastructure, the company has filed a robust portfolio of patent applications in the U.S. and internationally through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). One of these patents was recently allowed by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and was officially issued, marking a significant milestone for QKOIL.
To accelerate the development of its innovative charging solution, QKOIL has partnered with engineering students from New Mexico State University (NMSU) through the NMSU Engineering Capstone Design Program. Together, they are focused on building and testing a prototype of the QKOIL system, which employs an above-the-vehicle charging design that eliminates the need for ground-based pads or in-roadway installations.
Looking ahead, QKOIL is actively seeking funding and exploring partnerships with EV charging companies, traditional automakers, and EV manufacturers to advance the commercialization of its technology. By collaborating across industries, the company aims to bring its cost-effective, scalable solution to market, addressing the growing need for flexible and efficient EV charging infrastructure.
For more information, visit qkoil.com.
EVinfo.net Interviews QKOIL Founders Luis Ortiz and Kermit Lopez
On November 18, 2024, QKOIL’s Founders, Luis Ortiz and Kermit Lopez, answered questions from EVinfo.net, in this interview:
Bill Pierce:
Please tell us a little about your background, and what got you into the EV industry.
Luis Ortiz and Kermit Lopez:
As founders, we both have undergraduate engineering degrees and law degrees. We’ve partnered on the creation and protection of many ideas for over two decades now. Our first conceptual development in the EV field began in 2015 when we conceived of a system for rescuing disabled EVs. While doing business in Silicon Valley in March 2015 we noticed, a few times, that there were EVs on the side of the road, obviously disabled. It seemed that there would be a need for an electric vehicles rescue system as the industry grew and more EVs were on the side of roadways because their batteries ran out of charge. A suite of patents eventually issued for the concept of loading a disabled, and likely discharged, EV onto a flatbed vehicle equipped with onboard charging capabilities so that EV drivers can be taken to their destination while their EV is being charged and eventually arrive at their destination with an EV that now has enough charge to get them by until they can recharge at an actual charging station. It is from our experience developing this EV rescue concept and also hearing about the growing need for EV charging stations that we became inspired to work on an idea for what has now become the current multi-vehicle EV wireless charging system we are working on today.
Bill Pierce:
What gave you the idea for above-the-vehicle wireless charging?
Luis Ortiz and Kermit Lopez:
We noticed that EV charging stations can only accommodate one vehicle in a space at a time. The same applies to inductive wireless charging systems that utilize a ground based pad in a single parking space to charge an EV. Furthermore, whether a system is wired or wireless, they currently require human driver intervention to either plug in an EV or navigate an EV almost perfectly over a charging pad. And if you are a fleet manager, you will require several of these systems in parking spaces to charge several vehicles at time or you must have human staff working overnight to rotate EVs through a limited number to charging stations. We, like other leaders in this growing field, believe the future of EV charging is wireless, but what seemed to be needed was a system that was fully automatic and could be moved automatically from EV to EV to charge several EVs systematically without the need for human intervention. As autonomous vehicles like the Robotaxi continue to come online, the need for an automatic system couldn’t be more clear.
Bill Pierce:
You’ve said you’ve reached out to the below-vehicle wireless EV charging companies. What were the responses?
Luis Ortiz and Kermit Lopez:
It seems that they all understand the concept, but it is very different from how wireless vehicles are being charged today. It is a paradigm shift with the only commonality is that both systems are wireless. We haven’t really received harsh criticism from the below-vehicle wireless charging system people, but I think some are fixed on their paradigm while others are at least interested to see where our concept goes. The discussion is very different when we’ve spoken to fleet managers and multi-family building operators. They understand that they will need to provide charging options that can accommodate multiple vehicles and if there is a solution that can do this safely with less hardware commitment, they are interested in learning more. Unlike the below-vehicle systems, our overhead system can move sideways across several EV parked beneath an EV charging carport that our system is mounted to. A single Level 2 charger will conceivably be able to provide overnight charging to several fleet vehicles, or multi-family resident’s EVs overnight without the costs of having to procure multiple systems and also without severely burdening the electric grid because multiple systems are operating simultaneously.
Bill Pierce:
Do you plan to produce the above-vehicle wireless charging systems yourselves, or partner with another company?
Luis Ortiz and Kermit Lopez:
We are a startup. The infrastructure required to manufacture the system ourselves will be enormous. With proper funding we could move toward initial production ourselves, but the more realistic and long-term approach will be to work with contract manufacturers and also collaborate with joint venture partners or licensees to further develop the market for our system. Our intellectual property is also patent pending in several countries where we’d most likely need to partner with larger entities internationally to serve those market requirements.
Bill Pierce:
Have any vehicle makers shown interest in the technology?
Luis Ortiz and Kermit Lopez:
We have had some interest from Asia. That is all we can disclose at this time.
Bill Pierce:
Can the system be retrofitted into the vehicle, or does it need to be part of the production process?
Luis Ortiz and Kermit Lopez:
Actually both. Initially, the receiving coil can be installed on the hood of EVs with an appearance similar to a decorative low profile air scoop. Eventually, the receiving coil can be integrated at the center of a composite hood. Materials between the receiving coil and transmitting coils have to be selected so that they do not interfere with or diminish energy that is being transferred.
Bill Pierce:
Could a driver sit in the vehicle while charging? Is it safe?
Luis Ortiz and Kermit Lopez:
It is not likely that a driver would be sitting in a vehicle while it is being charged by a Level 2 system at installation sites we envision for our system, such as motorpools for fleet managed systems or multi-family properties. This is especially true for autonomous and robot charging applications. However, it is planned that the energy that will be emitted from our system will at least comply with standards as they are developing that are similar to SAE J2954 being followed by below-vehicle wireless charging systems. The frequency of wireless charging systems should be below 100KHz. We also have a design concept that includes additional shielding surrounding the transmitting coil that should further reduce emission. .
Bill Pierce:
Is anyone else working on any above-vehicle wireless charging systems similar to QKOIL?
Luis Ortiz and Kermit Lopez:
We are not aware of another company that is actively working on a system like ours. There are buses in Europe that use a pantograph arm system to lower charging contacts from overhead to touch receiving contacts mounted on the rooftop of buses and quickly charge the buses at up to about 500KW. These systems are extremely powerful and are not wireless, and their movement is restricted to an area just above where a single bus would park at a bus station.
Bill Pierce:
Have any companies partnered with QKOIL yet? If so, which ones?
Luis Ortiz and Kermit Lopez:
We have not actively sought a partnership with companies at this time. This is on our horizon. At this time we are fully developing our intellectual property position and working on proof of concept with New Mexico State University. We believe our technology is poised for adoption in the autonomous vehicle and robot fields and can eventually service private consumers within their own garages. We believe things will move fast for the QKoil system once the market realizes how effectively it solves the current needs for automatic multiple vehicle wireless charging.
Electric Vehicle Marketing Consultant, Writer and Editor. Publisher EVinfo.net.
Services