The race is on to extend EV offering via ‘charging on-the-go’

Charging an electric vehicle (EV) is not the most glamorous of tasks. Parking at a public charging station, removing a bulky cable from the trunk and waiting for around half an hour to replenish the battery is an alien experience for those used to the ‘splash and dash’ experience of an internal combustion engine (ICE) car.

Despite this, both Renault and Nissan have pioneered EV technology for some time, and to date, 425,000 electric cars have been sold by the Renault-Nissan Alliance since 2010. Renault remains the leading OEM in the EV segment with a share of 26.8% globally. In the first half of 2017, registrations of the Zoe, Europe's top-selling EV, rose 44%. However, this is still but a small proportion of overall group sales.

Much of the issue is believed to centre around day-to-day ownership of an EV, which generally requires overnight charging or waiting at a public station. For many prospective new car buyers, the charging process can even kill the sale of an EV, and vehicle manufacturers are having a hard time convincing the mass market to make the switch. To simplify things, Renault has been fostering a strong partnership with Qualcomm since 2012 to develop wireless – or ‘hands free’ – charging systems for EVs.