If you own an electric car or are thinking of purchasing this type of vehicle, you don't have to worry about running out of power with the closest charging station being hundreds of miles away in the future. The search for charging points for electric cars could very well be over soon. Volkswagen has come up with the idea of mobile robots that would be able to move around the parking lot fully autonomously and "let the juice flow" into your vehicle without human intervention.
It may sounds like sci-fi, but it looks like these charging robots will usher in a revolution in the charging of electric cars. Imagine yourself arriving at the parking lot, parking your car and, while doing your shopping without a care in the world, having your electric vehicle located by a mobile robot and recharged without your assistance. Once the robot's work is finished, the charging module automatically retrieves it, disconnects it and puts it back where it belongs. You can call the robot to your vehicle using either a mobile application or a special system built into the electric car.
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O nabití vašeho elektromobilu by se v budoucno mohl postarat robot. Source: Volkswagen
"This prototype has huge economic potential. Using robots, we can significantly reduce the building cost of charging stations,"
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said Mark Möller, Head of Development at Volkswagen Group Components.
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Robota si budou moci řidiči zavolat třeba přes mobilní aplikaci. Source: Volkswagen
While an autonomous robot from a well-known company may look like R2D2 from the well-known Star Wars movie series at first glance, the difference is that this handsome devil is much more skilled.
The robot will be able to move freely around the parking area and, thanks to the built-in camera system, laser scanner and ultrasonic sensor, it will also be able to detect obstacles and react accordingly. It should be equipped with a set of batteries with a capacity of 25kWh and capable of quickly charging your electric vehicle up to 50kW, which might not get you all the way from Brno to Prague, but it would certainly provide enough power for you to reach another charging station rather than being stranded in the middle of the highway. According to Volkswagen, one robot would be able to serve several vehicles in the parking lot at the same time.
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Source: Volkswagen
The market launch of these 21st century mini helpers is still in the stars. The question also remains, whether these clever robots would be able to charge even non-Volkswagen electric cars. Whatever the future brings, this project clearly demonstrates that the distant future is not as far away from us as we may have thought. See for yourself and watch the video below.
