VW's robot brings the charge to your car

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VW's robot brings the charge to your car VW's robot brings the...

Derryn Wong

29/12/2020

No charge point? No fret: VW’s autonomous charging robot brings a battery to your EV

Wolfsburg, Germany
The biggest problem with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is charging, not just finding the time and place to charge, but even physically being able to plug into a charge point itself.

Volkswagen has shown off a prototype charging robot which could end a BEV driver’s hassles. The robot brings an energy storage unit – presumably another battery – to charge your BEV wherever it may be.

According to the company, the robot can be activated via an app or Car-to-X communication (a method of making cars and infrastructure ‘talk’ electronically).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMC1H__xL3Y

The robot brings the ‘battery trailer’ to the car and plugs it in, then leaves the trailer next to the vehicle and goes on to service others. Once charging is done, it brings the trailer back to a central charging station.

Wondering which are the best BEVs in Singapore? We rank them here!

While it might sound nonsensical to make a robot and another battery just to charge a BEV, keep in mind that charging points are not cheap. CarBuyer understands that a public DC fast charge station, like the one shown in the video below, can cost more than S$10,000 to install.

Also, to install multiple regular (non-fast charging) wallboxes in a carpark would quickly add up, since each box costs a few grand, and that’s not even counting installation or additional power supplies needed.

But we won’t be seeing the charge robot in action anytime soon. VW says a prerequisite of this prototype is Car-to-X communication, and that’s still in its infancy, even further behind the current state of car electrification.

About the Author

Derryn Wong

CarBuyer's former chief editor was previously the editor for Top Gear Singapore and a presenter for CNA's Cruise Control motoring segment.

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