The market for EVs or Electric Vehicles is rapidly increasing and as more and more people buy EVs, there is a need for availability of charging stations. Nowadays, there are charging spots at various parking bays, but not all are available at the time the vehicle user may need. Either another vehicle is getting charged or a non-EV has been parked at the spot. This can be quite frustrating for the EV user. Korean startup– EVAR (Electric Vehicle Automatic Recharging), which is a spinoff company from Samsung Electronics, brings a solution for EV charging with an autonomous robotic charger.
Park the car, tag EVAR and it locates to charge
EVAR was born of Samsung Electronics in-house incubation program and has been set up as an independent identity, with Samsung Electronics holding 20% equity stake in the company. EVAR is basically a robot that has been developed using Samsung’s own technology of Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Driving and Precision Control Algorithm. When a driver of EV wants to charge the vehicle, they have to smartphone tag to a wall-mounted device and the charging location information is transmitted as data to perform the task. This means the EV can be parked anywhere in the parking bay and EVAR can find its location and connect to charge it on its own.
EVAR is world’s first device that can charge the EV without human help.
The rechargeable batteries used in EVAR are environmentally friendly because they are recycled EV batteries. This also means that the unit price of EVAR has economical advantage. The company is also likely to cooperate with Samsung SDI, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, in relation to electric car batteries in the future.
Promising Future for EVAR and EV charging stations
Samsung Electronics invested its talent and funds in this EV charging robot with the belief in the promising growth for eco-friendly cars usage and the need for charging infrastructure. Lee Jae-Il, director of the Creative Development Centre at Samsung Electronics, said, “In the case of electric car charging service market, it is likely to grow about 40 times in 10-years time.”
The housing situation in Korea, which is becoming more and more apartment complex styled, such a mobile EV charging station, will prove beneficial for many. “It is impossible to install electric car charging station close to the multiple residential type of Korea, and a lot of funds will need to be invested in infrastructure construction.” Lee said.
“Mobile charging will be a strength, ” Samsung Electronics
Initially, EVAR was started by five developers of Samsung Electronics, but only three people are now part of the spinoff. EVAR is planning to recruit additional talent as it grows its business scale. “We aim to grow at least 20 people in the next two to three years,” Lee said. In recent years, the automobile industry is marketing rigorously to sell EVs and build charging infrastructure. Major automobile companies like Hyundai and SK Networks are looking at building “mobility lifestyle charging station”. In such times, a product like EVAR can make great impact, as it gives the EV owner a carefree charging solution.
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