Rotterdam to test wireless electric car charging

Rotterdam and energy company Engie teamed up for an experiment in wirelessly charging electric cars. Together they developed a charging plate, which means that instead of plugging into a pole with a cord, an electric car can charge by parking on the induction plate in a parking lot. The charging is started with an app, NOS reports.

Rotterdam wants to encouarge electric driving by making charging as simple as possible. The city already boasts with nearly 2 thousand charging points. "We want another 2 thousand, and with that we also want to maybe use this technique in some places", alderman Pex Langenberg said to the broadcaster.

The technique is still in its baby phases. It still needs to be tested extensively, and cars need to have the induction technology installed before they can use it.

Engie sees a lot of potential for this technology in the future. "Think of usage by taxis at ranks or buses", spokesperson Hans Boot said. "In the distant future, you can use these charging plates in the highway to charge self-driving cars."