Evatran Group, Inc. (Evatran) and Zhejiang VIE Science and Technology Company (VIE) have formed a joint venture to integrate Plugless, Evatran’s wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging system, into the EVs of car manufacturers (OEMs) based in China. The new venture is called Zhejiang VIE Evatran Electronic Technologies Co. and was created with an initial investment of $5 million (USD).
The joint venture pairs Plugless products and inductive charging technology with the manufacturing experience and long-term OEM customer relationships of VIE, a leading manufacturer of automotive parts based in Zhejiang Province, China. The joint venture expects Plugless EV charging to be in series production and commercially available with a China-based OEM in 2017.
“China is the fastest growing EV market in the world, and we see tremendous opportunities in bringing Plugless technology to the market,” said Evatran CEO Rebecca Hough. “VIE is the perfect partner in this joint venture, working together toward another first with Plugless – series production of wireless EV charging.”
Evatran is the world’s leader in wireless EV charging, and Plugless is the first and only wireless EV charger available for purchase by EV drivers. In 2013, Evatran completed field trials in partnership with Google, Hertz, SAP and Duke Energy. In March of 2014, Plugless EV charging became available to EV owners across the United States and Canada.
Currently, Plugless supports 3.3kW charging for Chevy Volt, Nissan LEAF and Cadillac ELR EVs. Plugless is now also taking reservations for its interoperable 2nd Generation Plugless system, releasing first as a 7.2kW system for the Tesla Model S, then a 3.6kW system for the 2016 and 2017 Chevy Volt. Full production of the 2nd generation system begins early fall 2016.