Austria-based Easelink demonstrated its Matrix Charging system at the recent IAA Mobility 2021 trade show in Munich. Automotive parts supplier Schaeffler integrated Matrix Charging into a demo model of its Rolling Chassis, a platform for driverless mobility solutions.

Easelink’s Matrix Charging system is a fully automated conductive charging system, and the company sees it as an enabling technology for autonomous EVs.

Matrix Charging consists of two components: the Matrix Charging Connector, which is attached to the vehicle’s underbody; and the Matrix Charging Pad, which is installed in the surface of a parking space. Once the vehicle has parked above the Pad, the Connector automatically lowers from the vehicle’s underbody and connects to the Pad. The vehicle is then charged over the conductive connection.

The system can deliver 22 kW AC, up to 50 kW DC at 400 volts, or up to 100 kW DC at 800 volts, and Easelink claims that it offers “a nearly 100% transmission efficiency.”

The Matrix Charging Pad can be installed flush with the road surface or positioned atop existing parking spaces. The Pads are designed to be driven over without damage, and to be immune to the usual ravages of weather. An integrated cleaning routine in the Connector on the vehicle side is designed to ensure a stable charging connection even when the Pad is covered with water, salt or gravel.

Easelink is currently working with electric taxi companies and carsharing providers, which are using the Matrix Charging system in various real-world environments.

“With the Matrix Charging technology, we are striving for manufacturer-independent standardization as well as use of the technology in the high-volume electric vehicle segments,” says Hermann Stockinger, founder and CEO of Easelink.

Source: Easelink