We recently had the pleasure of assembling a plugless electric vehicle charger that GM will use for testing purposes on their Chevy Volt. We knew that our readers would want a closer look at this unique option for EV charging. Our video introduction to the plugless EV charger will give you an idea of how it works, where it can be installed, and how much it costs. Take a look!

The plugless EV charger works kind of like your electric toothbrush. When your toothbrush’s battery is dead, you put it back in its holder and while you’re off doing other things, it charges the battery, ready for the next time you need to polish your pearly whites. Similarly, the plugless EV charger has a pad that sits on the ground and when you need to charge your EV battery, you simply drive your car so that it sits over the pad.

The charging takes place magnetically through the pad, which is collected to the charger head, and will usually charge in around 3-4 hours. The charger head can be connected to either a stand or a wall, depending on which format works best for your space, and can be installed indoors and outdoors without issue. Together, the pad and the charger head costs around $3,000, which is roughly three times the cost of a corded Level 2 EV charger.

Smart charging

Since we’re electricians in Markham and Toronto, we’re always interested in how technology like this can also be energy efficient. One of the great things about this plugless EV charger is that it communicates with your car and will stop charging when you have a full battery or can even be programmed to only start charging during specific hours (non-peak times, for example).

Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf, for now

GM’s plugless charger is compatible with both the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf, currently. I would guess that if these chargers take off, they will quickly become available for other EVs.

If you liked this video and found it helpful, let us know in the comments below! Please contact us for more information about installing EV chargers or if you would like to book an appointment for us to come and install your EV charging station.

 
Picture from: Evatran