Mercedes-Benz will be introducing its first electric vehicle with wireless charging technology in 2018. The new technology will make its debut in select models of the car manufacturer's lineup next year including the Mercedes-Benz S550e. Drivers of the S550e (badged S500 in Europe) equipped with the wireless charging option will simply park over a special pad and charging will begin - no cables to manage or untangle, just park the car and it and it will charge.
Mercedes' Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC) system is based on Qualcomm's Halo resonant magnetic induction technology. Qualcomm Halo uses resonant magnetic induction to transfer energy, wirelessly, from a ground-based pad to another pad integrated in the vehicle. Energy is transferred quickly and safely to an automobile’s battery. Just as important, energy is transferred efficiency — Qualcomm Halo is comparable to conductive charging’s 90% efficiency rating, but Qualcomm Halo’s efficiency improves as the level of wireless charging power is turned up.
One downside to wireless charging is that the power level is limited to 3.6 kW at the moment, as compared to the 11 kW provided by wired charging. This means that wireless charging will take longer than if plugged in to a power outlet. However, if you are parking the car in your garage overnight, this should not matter that much.
From what we have heard the wireless charging option will not be included in new models by default, rather this will be an extra feature which customers will have to pay for. This is probably because wireless charging technology is still expensive. As it becomes more prevalent, we could see its cost drop, which will allow companies to provide this as a default option.
