Daimler, Qualcomm working on EV wireless charging

Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, said on Saturday it would start working with Qualcomm on wireless charging technologies for electric vehicles and mobile devices, and would evaluate other avenues of collaboration.

The announcement brings into sharp focus, the increasingly close ties between the automobile industry and mobile communications technologies, as automobiles increasingly start functioning in ways similar to smartphones and other internet-connected consumer gadgets, featuring similarly complex electronics and software.

''The automobile has become a mobile platform and an extension of always-on connectivity,'' said Qualcomm president Derek Aberle in a statement announcing the deal.

Initially the companies said they planned to focus on high-speed in-car internet connectivity via 3G/4G, in-car wireless charging for mobile devices and implementation of Qualcomm's technology for the charging of electric and hybrid vehicles without a physical interface.

For in-car wireless device charging, the collaboration would focus on WiPower, a technology Qualcomm acquired in 2010, and which it was pushing to standardise through the Alliance for Wireless Power, formed in 2012 with major components suppliers, with Intel joining the standards group in 2013.

The Alliance for Wireless Power is in competiton with the Wireless Power Consortium and its Qi standard, which has the backing of Microsoft and electronics makers including HTC, Nokia, Samsung, Sony and BlackBerry.

According to commentators, the initiative formed part of a broader push by Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, as also rival German car makers BMW and Audi, to build their expertise in software and telecommunications to boost their status as hi-tech carmakers in an era when tightening emission rules force them to downsize engines, once a mainstay of profit.

According to a joint statement, the two companies were assessing the application of wireless technology to charge their electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid EVs without ever having to plug them in.

The companies were also looking at technologies that would allow customers to wirelessly charge devices such as mobile phones even as they drove their car, and  ways to enhance in-car experience through high-speed 3G/4G connectivity.

"It's important that we remain on the cutting-edge of technology and continue to deliver unparalleled experiences to our customers," said Thomas Weber, Daimler board member for research and development .

"With this in mind, we are eager to jointly explore possible fields of future cooperation with an internationally leading tech firm like Qualcomm," Weber said in a statement.