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The robotic EV charger will be tested at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in the coming months as part of a pilot program for innovative charging solutions.
Developed by EV Charge Safe, the robotic charger, nicknamed Ziggy, goes to the car that needs a charging plug-in, then returns to the staging area to be recharged. Mobile units can also bring in advertising as a source of revenue.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
Mobile robot charging will be one of the technologies DFW plans to showcase in five public demonstrations in airport car parks between May and August, according to a press release from the airport. Other demos will focus on apps and on-demand charging, according to DFW, but the release doesn’t address a timeline for deploying either of these technologies for regular use at airports.
The advantage of mobile charging robots, says EV Charge Safe, is that they can turn any parking lot into an EV charging bay. That could give drivers and infrastructure planners more flexibility, and act as a solution for internal combustion vehicle drivers blocking EV charging bays, otherwise known as “ICEing.”
Ziggy EV charging robot kiosk
In its own release, EV Safe Charge notes that the city of Barcelona recently declared Ziggy the winner of a pilot project competition for EV charging, thanks to the added flexibility of this mobile solution. The company also sells more conventional Level 2 AC and DC fast chargers for commercial use.
Other companies are also experimenting with robotic charging, at a few different angles. Automotive supplier Continental has designed a different type of charging robot that relies on a physical connection to the vehicle. Between the two, perhaps, is the wireless charging robot that Stellantis is developing with EFI Automotive. The latter was shown with a concept version of the Ram electric pickup truck earlier this year, but the automaker is yet to discuss its use with a production model launching in 2024.
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