U of British Columbia touts cheaper, more efficient wireless EV charger

Oh, Canada. Our neighbors to the north say they've come up with a cheaper, more efficient wireless charging system for electric vehicles. Specifically, engineers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have developed a way to wirelessly charge a vehicle that cuts frequency by 99 percent, an advancement said to have health benefits.

In a nutshell, the system uses one magnet in the charging system and one in the vehicle to eliminate the need for radio waves in the charging process. UBC, which has four wireless charging stations on its Vancouver campus, says its chargers have 90 percent of the efficiency of a wired charging system. The device has an unexpected pedigree, as the magnetically-driven charging system was originally designed for a pacemaker. Check out the two-minute video below for a clearer explanation of how it all works.