In　today＇s　society　where　electric　vehicles　are　widely　used,　it　is　particularly　important　to　make　electric　vehicles　more　efficient　and　convenient　to　charge.　Wireless　power　transfer　technology　is　becoming　increasingly　popular　as　a　new　type　of　charging　technology.　Different　from　conventional　charging　strategies,　wireless　power　transfer　becomes　a　hot　topic　in　industry　and　academia　due　to　the　application　possibility.　It　can　not　be　ignored　that　this　technology　can　also　effectively　reduce　energy　consumption.　And　the　technology　contributes　to　improve　some　environmental　issues.　Without　doubt　that　it　is　a　kind　of　beneficial　clean　energy　source　in　today＇s　society.　In　this　paper,　the　state-of-the-art　wireless　power　transfer　technologies　are　comprehensively　review　in　terms　of　operation　characteristics　and　optimization　strategies.　Meanwhile,　a　comparative　analysis　is　given　with　different　application　scenarios,　including　the　cost　and　power　conversion　efficiency.　At　the　same　time,　the　future　perspectives　for　developing　the　wireless　power　transfer　techniques　are　given.　©　2023　Institute　of　Physics　Publishing.　All　rights　reserved.