Westfalia Technologies unveils overhead robotic EV charger for automated car parks
The key to Weplug’s flexibility lies in its overhead gantry, which uses a vision-guided robotic arm to autonomously lower the charging connector into an adapter previously placed in the vehicle’s charge port by the driver. This design bypasses the complexity and reliability issues that can plague fully robotic solutions attempting to connect directly with each vehicle’s unique port geometry.
“It’s simple but powerful,” said Ian Todd, Executive VP of Automated Parking at Westfalia. “We connect a car and charge it. Once finished, we move it to another spot in the facility whilst the overhead gantry moves to the next EV to be charged. […] This intelligent choreography enables fewer charging points, and a single gantry to service significantly more vehicles, dramatically improving efficiency while reducing infrastructure costs.”
Designed for use in a wide range of environments, including fleet depots, car dealerships, automated parking garages, airports, and corporate campuses, the Weplug system operates on a single-point utility connection, significantly reducing the electrical and construction footprint compared to conventional ground-based charging layouts.
According to Westfalia, the system can charge most EVs to 80% in under an hour and is well suited to both new developments and retrofitted installations, provided there is adequate overhead clearance. The system is particularly effective when combined with Westfalia’s own automated parking systems, allowing vehicles to be dynamically repositioned before and after charging.
“What makes combining Weplug with our automated parking systems especially impactful is how we can orchestrate the movement of EVs across an entire system for charging,” added Todd.
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