With the shift to electrified vehicles, Ram looks to make the at-home charging experience as easy as possible with the introduction of the all-new “Ram Charger” inductive robot charger.
Unveiled at CES 2023 last week, the new Ram Charger charging robot is autonomous, able to locate a truck, avoid obstacles and stops if a movement is detected, without any user action, and without being in a precise parking position. It will automatically move into position, aligning itself below it to start the charging process.
No more handling wet or dusty cable, neither to look for it in the trunk. You don’t need your hands anymore to plug the cord. Just use your app to plan the charge of your vehicle.
Developed by EFI Automotive over the past 5 years, the Ram Charger robot has a range of 5 to 10 meters (16.4 feet to 32.8 feet). EFI states that the innovative because the inductive charging is done by contact under the vehicle which improves the efficiency to 97% compared to inductive systems with an air gap. The galvanic isolation by principle allows optimum safety for the user.
Akeoplus, a subsidiary of the EFI Automotive Group specializing in industry 4.0 and robotics, played a crucial role in the development of the software.
The robot is equipped with intelligence for obstacles and person avoidance and first-level communication with the vehicle. The vehicle remains the master to launch the recharge and the robot is a slave.
Charging power is expected to be 7 kW, but it can be extended. Depending on the application, the robot charger can be powered by either a wallbox (Home Charging), or by a terminal (Business Charging). EFI Automotive says the charger is scheduled for a 2025 production start date, about a year after the launch of the Ram 1500 BEV.
