New tech promises to wirelessly charge heated motorcycle clothes

Picture this: you’re riding along all warm and protected from the, ahem, vicious British winter when disaster strikes. You’re heated gloves have died, and you still have 45 minutes ahead of you on the motorcycle before your journey is completed. 

Indian may be en route to a solution to this most chilling of issues, with new patent filings suggesting the technology could be on the way from the American manufacturer to allow riders of its motorcycles to charge their heated garments while on the move - and without any annoying and distracting wires involved.

The patents were discovered and published by Italian outlet Motociclismo, and they reveal that Indian will make this on-the-move charging possible by utilising induction charging.

This technology is already in use in normal modern life, most commonly with wireless chargers for mobile phones.

The idea of Indian’s induction charging solution for heated gloves and other warmed garments follows the same philosophy. As far as the user is concerned, their heated clothing can be charged simply via contact. The charging points would be placed on footpegs, grips, the seat and the backrest, to service not only gloves but also jackets and trousers, for example, while charging would be activated via a switch or button on the handlebar.

As we only have the patents for now, there is no way to tell at which point this technology will make its way to Indian bikes, but it is certainly one that can be of use, especially in the British winter with its aforementioned viciousness. 

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