Electric vehicles are slowly catching up with combustion-engined cars, which explains why EV charging stations are already being built all over the US. Airports are starting to adapt to the EV industry as well as they add autonomous robots that can charge your EV right where you parked.
ZiGGY the EV Charger
The advanced mobile EV charging robot will be placed in airports in the US, with the Dallas Forth Worth (DFW) International Airport being the first to soon have them. This allows for a more convenient way for EV owners to charge their vehicles while on a flight.
Through the EV charger's phone app, drivers can book a robot for them to use, which will then guide them to the parking spot they selected. As they head to the marked location, the robot will also save the parking space for the user to keep it from being occupied.
It will do so by rolling through to the spot reserved and waiting for the driver to arrive. Once the driver is near the booked space, the ZiGGY robot will simply roll out so the EV could take its place, and the EV charger would position itself behind the car.
Once the driver has parked, they would then have to confirm the activation. Based on the demonstration video, it can be done through a QR code. Once that's done, the driver can start charging, and the robot will alert them through the app once the car is fully charged.
ZiGGY is developed by the company EV Safe Charge. Its founder and CEO Caradoc Ehrenhal stated that due to the robot's innovative flexibility to reach every car in a parking lot, DFW chose to display the tech, as reported by Interesting Engineering.
DFW Executive Vice President of Innovation, Paul Puopolo expressed that the airport is aware of EVs becoming a part of their future, and so they are finding the right technology solutions to meet the future challenges, which he stated was a major focus for their team.
Given that ZiGGY is portable, it's likely that it or other technologies like it will be seen in other places as well aside from airports. They can be useful for parking spaces in retailers like Walmart, which already has plans to install EV charging networks in several locations.
Why Portable EV Chargers Might Be Better
EV charging stations are already being set up in various locations to accommodate EV drivers who need a quick boost in the middle of a trip. However, there are parking structures that don't have enough space for the equipment.
Since a portable EV charger can just roll to the parking spot, there's no need to worry about allotting space for the charger. A mobile robot will also solve the limitations that a stationary charging station will have.
The robot itself will return to its station once the electric vehicle has already been charged completely. This means that other EVs won't have to wait for the vehicle parked in a charging spot to leave before they get their turn.
