WIRELESS EV CHARGING SYSTEMS?
According to CleanTechnica.com a wireless EV charging system could be coming soon. Stanford University researchers have announced that they have designed a road-based, high-efficiency wireless charging system for electric vehicles, creating a network of all-electric highways that charge EVs while they drive, thus eliminating range anxiety. The power transfer system is based on a technology called magnetic resonance coupling, which creates a magnetic field between the road and vehicle to transfer electric currents to the vehicle's battery. Copper coils, placed under the road surface at regular intervals, are tuned to resonate at the same frequency. When an electric current is introduced, it creates a magnetic field between the coils that can then transfer energy to a receiving coil in passing electric vehicles.
The technology for this was demonstrated in 2007 by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who used it to light a 60-watt bulb. Inspired by the stationary charging breakthrough, the Stanford team were challenged to increase the amount of transmitted electricity to the level required to power a vehicle. They established that by bending the copper coils at a 90ยบ angle and attaching them to a metal plate, up to 10 kilowatts of electricity can be transferred at a 97% efficiency rate.
More research and experimentation will be required to demonstrate the technology, and several challenges still remain, which may take several years. However, it could have the potential to change the global ground transportation system. You could potentially drive for an unlimited amount of time without having to recharge, says Richard Sassoon, managing director of the Stanford Global Climate and Energy Project.
Source: CleanTechnica.com / Read the full article here
