Forget wall plugs: VW has a WALL-E style robot to charge your EV
VW has designed an autonomous robot to take the hassle out of charging your electric car.
A gang of these cute droids would hang out in parking lots waiting for owners to summon them via an app on their phone, or direct from the car’s infotainment system. Once called into action, a robot will seek out the car, plug in a remote battery, and leave it to charge the car. When the car is amped up the bot returns, collects the unit and takes it back to a charging dock.
The system means that drivers never need dirty their hands with cables but also, more importantly, charging stations won’t get blocked for longer than necessary. Owners can leave their cars for as long as they wish, but the charger will only be deployed for as a long as it takes to give the car the required boost before moving on to another, ending charging rage and ICE-ing as well.
VW’s CEO of Group Components Thomas Schmall appears to be quite pleased with his sci-fi-inspired solution, saying, “A ubiquitous charging infrastructure is a key factor in the success of electric mobility. Our charging robot is just one of several approaches, but is undoubtedly one of the most visionary.”
