The most pressing question of the electric-car space race isn't range, reliability, or price. It's infrustracture.
All sorts of tech firms and car companies worldwide have been trying to solve the issue of charging; be that making it more commonly available, making it faster, or simply making it easier to perform. Although, 'making things easier' for most doesn't necessarily involve autonomous robots like these.
Yes, autonomous robots. Chinese car maker and tech firm AIWYS is in the process of developing an EV butler. And it's called CARL.
As pictured, CARL is a Fisher & Paykel mini-fridge on wheels that can access and plug itself into an EV autonomously. The driver technically doesn't even need to be there at the time. CARL will be controlled via an app, and can be actioned to charge an operator's car remotely under either a 30kWh or 60kWh capacity.
It's an idea that sounds like something from an alternate sci-fi universe at first. But, the more we read about handsome CARL, the more he seems to be a bit clever.
Read more: NZ's most underrated electric car? Hyundai's new EV goes on a 1000km mission
For starters, something like CARL could theoretically help solve the issue of limited chargers in shared spaces. A built up industrial area loaded with office buildings, for example, with plenty of different EVs around waiting for a charge throughout the day, could find something like this useful. Cars are found by the machine via GPS data.
CARL also supposedly has the ability to charge into different brands of EV. Despite being made by AIWAYS and despite being pictured with the brand's SUV, the U5, it'll be able to charge "any vehicle with a recognised charging standard".
There's no word on what charging formats that'll include, but one would assume it'd include the same outlets as a conventional charger.
“Instead of drivers trying to find a charger, the charger will find them,” said AIWAYS VP for overseas operations, Alex Klose.
“We want to make EV ownership as simple, easy and enjoyable as possible, and CARL provides a blueprint for how EVs can be charged in the future.”