NaaS Technology, one of the largest and fastest growing electric vehicle charging service providers in China, recently announced the launch of its first self-developed automatic charging robot with features including active vehicle locating, smart charging, and automatic payment settlement to meet the rising demand for mobile charging of electric vehicles (“EV”). With the future popularization of self-driving vehicles, compatible automatic charging robots will become indispensable infrastructure. Intelligent and unmanned EV charging will create a whole new charging experience and open up a massive market for smart charging.
During an automatic charging session, robots with mechanical arms will automatically dock with the ports of EVs and complete the charging and settlement processes in one go. Empowered by deep learning, 5G, V2X, simultaneous localization and mapping, and other underlying technologies, NaaS’ waterproof and shock-proof charging robot brings science fiction to life with one-click ordering, active vehicle locating, precise self-parking, automatic docking, charging and undocking via mechanical arms, and automatic return and recharging functions. It is available in various charging power and battery capacity configurations and can connect with major OEMs seamlessly through an open API, enabling EV owners to enjoy unmanned service anywhere, around the clock, saving much time and effort.
Currently, the automatic charging robot is already able to connect with the EV car system through its underlying API interface. In case of insufficient battery power, the automatic charging robot will initiate an automatic vehicle search. On approaching the vehicle, the independently developed mechanical arm will accurately detect the position of the charging port and complete the automatic plugging and unplugging of the charging gun, executing an unmanned operation throughout the entire process.
In the future, self-driving vehicles will realize autonomous recharging through the technical empowerment of data interconnectivity between vehicle and robot, as well as the automatic operation of the mechanical arm. Moreover, automatic charging technology with the robotic arm can also be further integrated with charging piles to provide automatic and unmanned charging services, while users can enjoy value-added services such as shopping, dining and massages around charging stations.
NaaS’ charging robot was independently developed by the Company’s Automatic Energy Replenishment Solution team, whose members include former employees of Bosch, BMW, and other globally reputable carmakers and technology companies. The team has profound expertise and experience in robotics, autonomous driving and vehicles, industrial automation technology, software algorithms, sensors and other related areas.
As China’s first EV charging service provider listed on NASDAQ, NaaS had connected over 515,000 chargers as of December 31, 2022. The Company has also obtained more than 100 domestic and overseas patents across charging services, mobile charging devices, and integrated PV-storage charging station solutions.
As we advance, NaaS will continue to invest in its core competencies, including algorithms, smart hardware, cloud platforms and one-stop charging station solutions, to build new infrastructure adapted to the future autonomous driving era, thereby empowering electric mobility in China.
