Rocsys, a provider of hands-free charging solutions, together with partners Ionity, Audi, TÜV SÜD and affiliated partners Porsche, BMW, Ford, Marquardt, AVL, and Huber+Suhner, as part of the ROCIN-ECO consortium, has developed and demonstrated what they say is “the first interoperable automatic conductive charging solution for passenger electric vehicles”.
The solution both uses and contributes to international standards (ISO and IEC) for automatic charging.
The partners worked together to create an ecosystem where any car can charge automatically regardless of brand or type, and which Rocsys will adopt in early 2025.
The ROCIN-ECO consortium has been demonstrating a prototype and working on feasibility for automatic charging for EVs since 2021, while working with standardization bodies to make sure it will be interoperable.
The project has now culminated in a successful demonstration at the IONITY Test Site in Munich on 18th June in which an Audi e-tron was charged hands-free by a Rocsys system according to the standardized charging procedure.
Over the past two years, the consortium laid the groundwork for future products that will automatically recharge electric vehicles resulting in a more efficient operation and a better experience.
With the conclusion of this project, the solution transitions to product development, which will include prototype testing and initial rollouts.
New projects originating from this consortium aim to improve and expand the automatic charging ecosystem, by focusing on automatic valet charging.
This will enhance accessibility, reduce wait times, and help to scale up charging infrastructure in and beyond metropolitan areas.
Forecasts account for approximately half of all European vehicles to be EVs by 2035, and in the US the number of EVs is predicted to hit 27 million by 2030 and 92 million by 2040.
They are an essential technology for the decarbonization of the world’s transport systems, with studies showing that EVs, on average, emit over 3 times less CO2 than equivalent petrol cars.
However, Rocsys evaluates that manual EV charging can be slower than hands-free charging and can introduce operator mistakes.
As driving is set to become increasingly autonomous – with the introduction of automatic valet parking – manual charging will be an even greater point of friction and barrier to widespread adoption of EVs.
Hands-free charging, in which a vehicle is charged with no manual input from anyone, including the driver, creates a seamless, and effortless charging experience.
The demonstration in Munich points to the future direction of EV development and is an important milestone on the road to electrified and autonomous mobility.
Hands-free charging of EVs will be crucial in unlocking the full potential of many autonomous EV operating models, including robotaxis, which currently rely on space and resource-inefficient centralized manual charging hubs.
Commenting on the success of the demonstration, CEO and co-founder of Rocsys, Crijn Bouman, says: “Hands-free charging is an essential part of the future of electric and autonomous mobility. It is more reliable, more efficient, and safer.
“It’s been a pleasure to work with leaders in the auto industry in defining this standard and to see hands-free charging technology get closer to reaching the mainstream following its success we’ve seen in industry deployments to date.”
Rocsys’ hands-free charging technology is currently deployed across Europe and the US in ports and logistics operations, making their fleets more reliable, efficient, cost-effective, and valuable.