Qualcomm swaps Halo IP for WiTricity shares
The objective of the acquisition is to unify the two companies’ contactless charging technology platforms and to accelerate the introduction of this technology to the market.
In the past, Qualcomm Incorporated and WiTricity have worked with global standardization organizations to review different vendors’ reference designs. The acquisition will facilitate ratification of the standard and interoperability with vehicles from different manufacturers. Electric vehicles can use any charger plate compatible with the standard to charge their vehicle. The driver simply parks the car over the charging pad and the vehicle is powered – at home, in garages and in public parking lots. Future autonomous vehicle fleets will require wireless charging as the vehicles will not have human drivers.
“At Qualcomm, we provide innovative solutions for the automotive industry with our technical expertise. We also developed the Halo loading system. We share the vision of making urban mobility more efficient, safer and cleaner,” said Steve Pazol, vice president and general manager of wireless charging at Qualcomm Incorporated. “Qualcomm is confident that our charging technology is in good hands with WiTricity and that customer demand for the technology can be increased.
The acquisition was preceded by other important milestones at WiTricity. The company has signed several new license agreements, including Anjie Wireless in China. In early February, Honda and WiTricity unveiled their contactless Vehicle 2-Grid charging model at CES in Las Vegas using WiTricity’s DRIVE 11 charging system. In 2018, the world’s first vehicle equipped with a contactless charging device was also unveiled: the BMW 530e iPerformance Sedan. Just recently, the German automotive supplier Mahle acquired a license for Witricity’s technology.
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