Hevo Power bringing manhole-disguised electric car chargers to NYC

Electric cars are gaining traction among consumers, but the issue of charging while on the go is still one that needs addressed on a larger level. Hevo Power has taken to the topic, looking to add a charging option for EV drivers in New York in the form of circular manhole-disguised units. If all goes as planned, they will be available next year.

The chargers are designed to blend in with the local landscape, in this case being dark and circular like the average manhole cover you'd spot in NYC. When given a closer look, however, the chargers appear different, with a charge emblem on the cover and a distinct pattern (as pictured above). Around them are white painted barriers indicating parking spots.

The charging system is then embedded into the pavement and uses resonance charging to power up a car. The driver would need a receiver that plugs into their vehicle's battery, and charge status would then come via an app one could run on their smartphone or, perhaps, car's infotainment system. The first round of chargers will arrive in NY's Washington Square Park early next year.

Said Hevo Power's Founder and CEO Jeremy McCool in an interview with Wired: "I was walking down the street, wondering how wireless charging could be deployed. I was standing at 116th and Broadway, and I was looking down and saw a manhole cover. And thought, that's the ticket. There are no cords, no hazards. Everything can be underneath the manhole cover."

SOURCE: Wired