The barrier between legacy fleet infrastructure and modern electrification just got significantly thinner. WiTricity AI Tech, LLC, a global leader in magnetic resonance (MR) technology, has announced that its MR/1 wireless charging platform now officially supports both lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries.
This development marks a pivotal shift in the EV charging landscape. While the industry has largely pivoted toward lithium-based systems, millions of industrial vehicles, golf carts, and light-duty fleets still rely on lead-acid power. By engineering a solution that services both, WiTricity is providing a pragmatic bridge for operators to modernize without the capital-intensive requirement of total fleet replacement.
Bridging the Gap Between Legacy and Modern Fleets
The transition to “plug-less” environments has historically been reserved for high-end, modern EV systems. However, industrial environments—ranging from material handling to recreational vehicle fleets—have remained tethered to manual, cable-based charging due to their reliance on lead-acid chemistries.
“This milestone allows fleets to adopt wireless charging without replacing their vehicles or their batteries,” stated Joe Benz, CEO of WiTricity. “We are dramatically lowering the barrier to electrification and automation.”
For fleet managers, the “rip and replace” model is often a non-starter. WiTricity’s battery-agnostic approach allows for the integration of wireless charging modules into existing assets via retrofit, ensuring that legacy lead-acid vehicles can share the same charging infrastructure as new lithium-ion acquisitions.
Technical Innovation: Managing Diverse Charging Profiles
Charging lead-acid batteries wirelessly is not a simple matter of hardware compatibility; it requires sophisticated software-defined power delivery. Lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries have fundamentally different charging curves, voltage requirements, and thermal tolerances.
WiTricity’s engineering team, led by VP of Engineering Ky Sealy, focused on ensuring the MR/1 platform could adapt its power profile in real-time.
“Charging a variety of battery chemistry types wirelessly required thoughtful adaptations to our technology,” Sealy noted. “We focused on ensuring the system maintains high efficiency and safety across multiple battery chemistries so fleets can deploy it with confidence.”
Key Features of the Expanded MR/1 Platform:
- Chemistry Agnostic: Seamless support for both modern Lithium-ion and legacy Lead-Acid systems.
- Infrastructure Efficiency: A single wireless transmitter can potentially service a diverse fleet of vehicles.
- Retrofit Ready: Specialized receiver modules can be integrated into existing vehicle architectures.
- Operational Safety: Eliminates exposed connectors, cables, and mechanical wear-and-tear associated with industrial charging environments.
The Strategic Impact on Industrial Automation
As industries move toward increased automation and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), the physical act of “plugging in” is a significant bottleneck. Wireless charging is the “last mile” of full automation. By enabling this for lead-acid systems—which power the majority of current industrial lift equipment—WiTricity is accelerating the timeline for fully autonomous warehouses and ports.
The announcement positions WiTricity not just as an EV hardware provider, but as a critical infrastructure partner for organizations looking to future-proof their operations while respecting their current balance sheets.
About WiTricity AI Tech, LLC
WiTricity is the recognized pioneer in wireless charging for the automotive, industrial, and consumer electronics sectors. Through the use of patented magnetic resonance technology, the company continues to drive international standards for wireless power transfer, ensuring a future where charging is as seamless as parking.
For more information on integrating wireless charging into your fleet, visit WiTricity.com.
