By Shuntaro Murase / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
To promote the wider adoption of electric vehicles in Japan, companies are working to develop systems that deliver power wirelessly, which would eliminate the hassle that plagues charging at present.
These systems involve embedding power transmission coils in the ground to deliver electricity to the vehicle without physical contact. This could allow vehicles to charge automatically while they are parked or in motion, and companies are stepping up efforts to bring the systems to market.
Magic of magnetic fields
In mid-May, at a logistics hub for Meitetsu Transportation Co. in Konan, Aichi Prefecture, a small electric truck pulled into a parking space, and without the driver even stepping out of the vehicle, its onboard battery began to charge. Generally, EV users need to connect their vehicle to a power cable to charge, just as though they were refueling a gasoline vehicle.
With the new system, charging automatically stops when the car's battery is full, and the process takes place at night when there are no deliveries to be made. The pilot project began in March, and testing will run through the end of June to confirm that the system is convenient, using trucks that make the rounds in the neighborhood.
Contactless charging is made possible by the magnetic field that is generated when electricity is run through a wire. In this case, a coil installed in the ground is used to generate a magnetic field, which interacts with a coil on the vehicle and is converted back into an electric current. Electricity can be transmitted even if the coils are slightly misaligned.
A 50-hr drive
Among companies looking to commercialize this technology, there is also a push to explore how vehicles can be charged on the road. If vehicles can be charged at regular intervals as they are driven, it will alleviate concerns about EV range and make large batteries unnecessary, potentially leading to lower car prices.
Denso Corp., a major auto parts manufacturer, aims to establish the technology for wireless charging while driving by fiscal 2029. In the autumn of 2024, the company reportedly succeeded in driving continuously for 50 hours using wireless charging on a test course that was embedded with transmission coils.
In collaboration with Denso and major general contractor Obayashi Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. plans to participate in a test of wireless charging on a highway in Chiba Prefecture, set to begin in fiscal 2027 or later.
Investment hurdles
EV drivers face significant hassle when it comes to charging. In a survey of market trends for passenger cars for fiscal 2025, many people cited "short driving range per charge" and "long charging times" as barriers to purchasing an EV, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.
Moving forward, a key challenge will be installing the infrastructure to transmit power. Installing this infrastructure on roads and in parking lots will require a major initial investment and some time to build. Without more vehicles capable of using wireless charging, the investment costs will not be recouped.
"We need to address on-site needs and advance feasibility studies through collaboration among industry, academia and government," said Masakazu Niwa of Mitsubishi Research Institute Inc., who is participating in Meitetsu Transportation's pilot project.
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This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.
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June 09, 2026 00:41 ET (04:41 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 The Yomiuri Shimbun
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