From the middle of 2012 General Motors and Powermat announced an agreement that will eliminate the need for charging cords for personal electronic devices in many future Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac products.
Powermat, a private firm, was founded in 2007 and offers wireless charging products for the home in a number of retail stores, including Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart.
GM will invest $5 million in Powermat, known as pioneer in wireless charging technology, to accelerate the technology’s development and to support its efforts of global business growing. Powermat’s technology allows electronic devices – smart phones, MP3 players and gaming devices – to be charged safely and efficiently, according to Powermat CEO Ran Poliakine.
While providing the assurance of an extended driving range, Chevrolet Volt was conceived as a reinvention of the automobile that would help reduce America’s dependence on oil and to be one of the first GM vehicles which offer this technology. The technology is expected to revolutionize how electronic devices are charged in a car.
“Imagine a mat or shelf where you could put your iPhone, your Droid or other personal device and charge it automatically while you commute to work, run errands or as you’re driving on a family vacation,” said Micky Bly, GM’s lead electronics executive, including infotainment, hybrids and battery electric vehicles. “The Chevy Volt will be one of the first applications, but we intend to expand it across our vehicle portfolio,” Bly said.
“GM is among the rarest of giants in today’s business climate: a forward-thinking innovator with the courage and good sense to care about the well-being of the consumer and the well-being of our planet,” Poliakine said.
Jon Lauckner, who helped create the Volt concept and now is President of GM Ventures, has been dreaming about a technology like Powermat for years.
“We first developed the Volt concept car in 2006,” Lauckner said. “The intent was to revolutionize every aspect of the car, not just the propulsion system. We had something like this in mind even then, and we think it will have widespread appeal.”
