Qualcomm has made the bold claim that it has cracked dynamic electric vehicle charging, allowing the smart car-of-tomorrow to be charged on the move.

Based on wireless electric vehicle charging technology (WEVC), Qualcomm claims it demonstrated the ability to charge an electric vehicle while travelling at highway speeds along 100-meter FABRIC test track. FABRIC is a €9 million project, mostly funded by the European Commission, to justify and improve feasibility of WEVC. FABRIC stands for FeAsiBility analysis and development of on-Road chargIng solutions for future electriC vehicles, believe it or not.

“We are inventors. We are WEVC. This dynamic charging demonstration is the embodiment of this,” said Steve Pazol, GM of Wireless Charging at Qualcomm.

“I am immensely proud of what we have achieved. The combination of a global team of expert engineers and Qualcomm Halo technology, which covers all aspects of WEVC systems, irrespective of the magnetics used, has enabled us to really push the boundaries of the possible and outline our vision for future urban mobility.”

While a breakthrough in the electric vehicles field might be a bit out of the realm of the telco industry, it does demonstrate the smart car is actually becoming a real thing. Many promised breakthroughs of the digital world seem in the very distant future, though parallel breakthroughs make them seem a bit more of a reality.

In the telco world, we might be waiting for the 5G evolution to ensure minimized latency so a self-driving car can function safely and effectively, but it would appear the other contributors to the greater smart car evolution will be waiting for us before too long. Admittedly, work in the telco space is much more safety critical, but such breakthroughs might give the industry a bit of a nudge to hurry up. Maybe the car-of-tomorrow isn’t as far away as we thought.

On a side note, it was quite nice to write a story about Qualcomm where they weren’t moaning or suing somebody for a change.