The City of Oslo and Jaguar Land Rover have made an agreement for the car maker to suply the city with a fleet of wirelessly charged I-Pace electric car taxis, to pioneer the technology with far-reaching consequences.

ElectriCity initiative will make Oslo the first city in the world to install high-powered induction-charging bays

Jaguar Land Rover will provide 25 Jaguar I-Pace models to Cabonline, the largest taxi network in the Nordics.

The cars will be equipped with Momentum Dynamic’s wireless charging technology. A team of engineers and technicians from both Momentum Dynamics and Jaguar Land Rover were engaged to help in testing the solution, and Cabonline signed up to operate the fleet as part of Oslo’s ElectriCity programme.

The project is said to offer solutions that have widespread significance and could help adoption of electric vehicles globally.

The programme, known as ‘ElectriCity’, involves several entities including taxi operator Cabonline (NorgesTaxi AS), the region’s largest charge point operator Fortum Recharge, US technology developer Momentum Dynamics and the City of Oslo to build wireless, high-powered charging infrastructure for taxis in the Norwegian capital.

Fortum Recharge, which is supporting the installation and electrification of the project, identified the need for a more efficient charging experience for taxi drivers in Oslo and enlisted the support of Momentum Dynamics in integrating the wireless charging infrastructure.

For usage efficiency, Taxi drivers need a charging system that does not take them off route during their working hours. Multiple charging plates rated at 50-75kW each, are installed in the ground in series at pick-up-drop-off points. This allows each equipped taxi to charge while queuing for the next fare.

The system, which uses no cables and situated below ground, requires no physical connection between charger and vehicle, engages automatically and provides on average 6-8 minutes of energy per each charge up to 50kW.

The taxi then receives multiple charges throughout the day on its return to the rank, maintaining a high battery state of charge and the ability to remain in 24/7 service without driving range restrictions.

Prof Sir Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover chief executive, said: “We’re extremely proud of our track record in electrification and we’re committed to making electric vehicles easier to own and use. The taxi industry is the ideal test bed for wireless charging, and indeed for high-mileage electric mobility across the board.

“The inherently safe, energy efficient and high-powered wireless charging platform will prove critical for electric fleets, as the infrastructure is more effective than refuelling a conventional vehicle.”

Norway is mandating that all new cars sold in the country by 2025 are zero emission, while it is aiming for all taxis to be emission-free by Q1 2024.

Arild Hermstad, the City of Oslo’s vice mayor for environment and transport, said: “As part of our commitment to reducing emissions by 95% before 2030, we have put many exciting measures in place, but transport continues to be a key challenge. By improving infrastructure and providing better charging to the taxi industry, we are confident that by 2024 all taxis in Oslo will be zero emission. To reach our goal, the public sector, politicians and private enterprises must come together, as we do in this project.”