InductEV, the pioneer in inductive wireless vehicle charging, announced that its technology solution has been named as a TIME Best Invention for 2024. A network of TIME editors selected the PA-based company's technology based on a number of key factors, including originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact.
The annual TIME list features 200 groundbreaking inventions (and 50 special mention inventions) that are "changing how we live, work, play, and think about what's possible." They were curated from entries received from around the globe.
InductEV was recognized in the Sustainability category under the title "InductEV Wireless Charging Network." The editors were likely impressed by InductEV's singular approach to tackling GHG emissions reduction and the inefficient economics that exist in the commercial transport sector, e.g., ports, drayage, freight, municipal buses, airport vans, middle-mile vehicles, etc. Road freight vehicles emit more than 2 billion tons of CO2 annually – or over 6% of the world's total CO2 emissions.
"InductEV's engineers and our colleagues who support them deserve the lion's share of praise for this prestigious recognition and the tireless work that led to it," noted John F. Rizzo, InductEV's President and CEO. "The commercial transport industry is at a tipping point in its electrification and decarbonization efforts. As a result, we are seeing tremendous interest in and adoption of our solution."
InductEV's high-power wireless charging system works by using inductive charging pads: an in-ground pad that is instantly activated when paired with an under- the-vehicle pad. Current systems provided by InductEV range from 75 kW up to a 450- kW wireless charge. Significantly, the company's solution shifts the charging paradigm from relying solely on time- and energy-intensive overnight wired charging sessions in depots to shorter charging sessions spread throughout the day, which reduces the friction of electrification for both power utilities and fleet operators by maximizing the use of the available (clean) energy supply.
This year, InductEV was awarded three new U.S. patents for its wireless charging technology, bringing its worldwide total to 105, with 118 in process. Some current deployments of the company's high-power wireless charging solution include:
A new agreement with Seattle's Sound Transit to deploy double-decker electric buses along its busiest routes. By the end of 2026, half of all battery electric buses in the state of Washington are projected to be charged by InductEV's on-route wireless chargers.
The first deployment of wireless charging electric port tractors at the AP Moeller Maersk Terminal in Port Elizabeth, NJ.
Municipal transit buses in Indianapolis, Martha's Vineyard, Oregon, and elsewhere are operational.
An OEM integration with Phoenix Motor Inc., a leading manufacturer of heavy- and medium-duty transit buses. This is in addition to vehicle makers MAFI, OrangeEV, BYD, Gillig, Volvo, and others, which provide integrated InductEV technology off the vehicle production line.
A partnership with Volvo for a wireless-charging taxi fleet of 20 electric SUVs in the Swedish automaker's hometown of Gothenburg, plus additional installations in Oslo, operational for three years.
