There’s a full-court press to advance electric vehicle ownership and EV charging systems. The federal government is working hard to build a national network of 500,000 EV chargers along highways and byways. The Biden administration’s goal is for EVs to make up at least 50% of new car sales by 2030, “all while advancing an industrial strategy to continue to build-out the domestic EV and EV charging industry,” per a White House release.

Such an initiative will create many jobs in manufacturing and installation. This is a clear signal to electrical contractors that EV charging station installation is a growth area.

To capitalize on this seemingly lucrative opportunity, however, it’s important to be aware of many technological considerations that are not mature enough for full adoption. Here are some examples of emerging tech that might go hand-in-hand with EVs someday.

A bonanza of opportunity

According to reporting by the New York Times, at least seven automakers plan to invest $1 billion or more in building 30,000 charging stations on major highways throughout North America. There is simply no way such an undertaking is possible, unless electrical contractors fully engage in taking on this work. Parallel to this intended infrastructure build-out is anxiety over the viability of building fast, reliable charging stations.

 As the implementation of EV charging stations matures, many things can go wrong. A key challenge is that the infrastructure and availability of charging stations is somewhat dubious for longer trips. On Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s EV goodwill tour, charging stations were found out of service. Charging stations must be reliable, located in the right places and in sufficient numbers. In addition to unreliability and availability, the next-longest pole in the tent is charging speed. Fast charging is where it’s at—but is it fast enough?

Faster charging is on the way

University researchers and those in the private industry are hard at work building technology that can charge EVs faster. Missouri University of Science and Technology, in partnership with Bitrode Corp., St. Louis, have developed technology that can deliver very high wattage of electrical power without robbing too much from the electric grid and putting ordinary power consumption at risk. This is just one of many efforts put forth to speed up charging.

Wireless charging ...

We can charge our phones wirelessly. Can we do the same for EVs? Quite possibly.

Resonant Link, a technology company based in South Burlington, Vt., is defining one way that EVs could eventually be charged wirelessly.

The company hopes to use a magnetic field that can transfer energy to an EV—or multiple EVs—at one time, without plugging in at all. The vision is that an EV may drive up to a parking lot, park and the vehicle charges.

... While driving?

Let’s take this idea one step further. What if it were possible to charge the vehicle while you drive? Such exploration is already underway. And where else to prototype this concept but Detroit, the Motor City itself?

Beneath a section of street, the city has installed copper inductive charging cables that will enable vehicles equipped with designated receivers to charge their batteries while driving, idling or parking. 

It’s not expected that the charge will be gratis to those who own an EV. Smart design is incorporating ways to identify the vehicle and owner and charge them accordingly for what is consumed. It’s futuristic, visionary and almost sounds like science fiction, but it’s well in the works, and the Michigan Department of Transportation is fully engaged with the project and its success.

It may sound all academic at this point. However, there is federal funding behind much of the effort, and scientists and technologists are helping to catalyze the forward march of EV charging.

It’s imperative for any electrical contractor seeking a piece of the big pie in charging station projects and federal grant money to stay apprised of the development of charging stations and solicitations by municipalities and construction entities, who seek savvy installers and smart electrical contractors on board with America’s effort to get charged up.

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