Shift Magazine - March 2021 - S5

SHORT BYTES

AN ET FOR YOUR EV?

Volkswagen unit is pumping funds into mobile charging robot
BY ALEXA ST. JOHN

ho says expanding the
electric vehicle charging
infrastructure has to be
boring? It can give automakers a chance to show off their innovations, not to mention their sense of style.
A prototype mobile charging robot from
Volkswagen Group Components looks to
address the needs of the electric vehicle
of the future long after it comes off the
assembly line. The automaker's robot,
previewed in December, provides fully
autonomous charging of EVs in restricted
parking areas, such as garages.
Complete with eyes and futuristic
sound effects, the rectangular bot is said
to be akin to Star Wars' R2-D2 or Pixar's
WALL-E. Its cute, digital face even lights
up upon navigating to a vehicle.
The robot can be started using an
app or vehicle-to-everything - known
as V2X - communication. It steers a
mobile energy unit to the vehicle needing a charge, opens the charging socket
to connect to the plug and disconnects
when the vehicle is full.

VW's prototype opens
the charging socket to
connect the plug.

The robot then collects its mobile
energy storage unit and takes it back to
the central charging station, according to
Volkswagen. It repeats this process with
several charging units to charge multiple
vehicles at the same time.
" A ubiquitous charging infrastructure is,
and remains, a key factor in the success
of electric mobility, " Thomas Schmall,
CEO of Volkswagen Group Components,
said in a release. " Setting up an efficient
charging infrastructure for the future is
a central task that challenges the entire
sector. "
The mobile charging robot is part of

the business unit's
work on a complete
DC charging family.
Volkswagen's flexible,
quick-charging station is
expected to launch early
this year.
Others also have
been working on using
robotics for autonomous
charging. Boston startup
Power Hydrant's vision
is that, once an EV is
detected in a designated charging area, a
robotic arm would move the plug into position to charge the vehicle.
Whatever the method, autonomous
charging capabilities could allow parking garages and structures to tout their
EV-friendliness, without incurring the
cost of building and operating permanent
charging stations.
" Our developments do not just focus
on customers' needs and the technical prerequisites of electric vehicles, "
Schmall said. " They also consider the
economic possibilities they offer potential partners. " n

DID YOU KNOW?

Udelv CEO offers a historical perspective on high-tech goods delivery

t's one of the hottest topics in mobility
of late: the emergence of goods hauling, rather than people moving, as the
most practical and scalable application
of autonomous-vehicle technology.
But it's a trend that builds on long historical precedent, notes Daniel Laury,
CEO of AV delivery company Udelv. He
says using cargo delivery to prove out
innovative technologies is a tradition that
goes back centuries.
He spoke at the Automotive News
Shift Mobility Forum, held in January
during CES.
" If you look back at the history of

Delivery vehicles, such as Udelv's, are a
proving ground for AV technology.

transportation over the past 300 years,
every new mode of transportation started

with cargo first, " Laury said.
Many regard Carl Benz's motor car,
patented in 1886, as the first automobile. Laury says that distinction goes
to a steam tractor created in 1769.
Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot's three-wheeled,
self-propelled vehicle was used to transport French artillery.
" It took more than a hundred years
before automobiles were designed to
carry people, " Laury said.
" It's the same for trains, planes, rockets, hyperloops - you name it. It is safer
to carry goods than it is to carry people. "
- Leslie J. Allen
march 2021 * shift

https://www.autonews.com/mobility-report/startup-tests-robotics-ev-charging https://www.autonews.com/mobility-report/startup-tests-robotics-ev-charging https://media.vw.com/en-us/releases/1452

Shift Magazine - March 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Shift Magazine - March 2021