Wireless Electric Charging: The Future of Plug-In Electric Vehicles is Going Cordless

[OKIsItJustMe]

(Please note, US Department of Energy. Copyright concerns are nil.)

http://energy.gov/eere/articles/wireless-electric-charging-future-plug-electric-vehicles-going-cordless

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Wireless Electric Charging: The Future of Plug-In Electric Vehicles is Going Cordless[/font]

March 7, 2016 - 3:50pm


Researchers test a wireless charger on the fully-electric Toyota Scion iQ at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. | Photo courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory

[font size=3]What if charging your plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) was as easy as parking it? No need for cords or cards. Just as Wi-Fi has freed consumers of wires when accessing the Internet, wireless charging technology may soon be as widespread, thanks to research supported by the Energy Department.

With support from the Vehicle Technologies Office, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Hyundai America Technical Center Inc. have been working since 2012 to demonstrate wireless charging on a variety of vehicles. ORNL is working with a mix of Toyota vehicles, including models of the all-electric RAV 4, plug-in hybrid electric Prius and all-electric Scion iQ, while Hyundai America Technical Center Inc. is testing its technology on five all-electric Kia Souls.

The technology behind wireless charging creates a connection between a transmitting pad on the ground (such as in a garage) and a receiving pad integrated on the bottom of the vehicle. In the projects ORNL is leading, the transmitting pad is connected to a 240-volt outlet and generates a magnetic field of a certain frequency. When the coil in the receiving pad is tuned to oscillate at the same frequency, the magnetic field will generate a current in the receiving coil, charging the vehicle’s battery.

Engineers are developing systems under these projects aimed at exceeding the power and speed of wired Level 2 charging. Level 2 charging currently takes about 4 to 6 hours to charge most all-electric vehicles. The projects are focusing on high power charging with a transfer of more than 6.6 kilowatts (KW). In the future, the engineers hope to reach 10kW and eventually 19kW to facilitate faster charging.

After initial testing, researchers will send the vehicles and charging units for validation testing at Idaho National Laboratory. ORNL has already sent one of its developed vehicles there for researchers to fully examine, and Hyundai will be doing the same as soon as it finalizes its prototype. This form of testing ensures that the systems meet international safety standards. For example, the transmitted energy cannot interfere with a pacemaker and other medical devices or harm human health. In addition, Idaho National Laboratory researchers will test how well these devices detect objects, so that, for instance, if a pet runs under the vehicle, the system would shut down and alert the owner.

Beyond static charging, ORNL is already looking ahead at the next phase of wireless charging that can be used for low-speed dynamic charging, with vehicles moving up to 25 miles per hour. In the future, drivers may be able to charge their cars while driving! Wireless charging, be it static or dynamic, will bring real benefits to the real world sooner than people expect.
[/font][/font]

[happyslug]

1. How can they prevent people from being electrocuted??

This is not a 12 volt or 24 volt system, but 240 volts. If someone steps on the charger that is enough to kill that person. The same if installed in a roadbed. Such electrocutions are the main reason third rail systems are less used then overhead wires.

Where third rail systems are used, the third rail ends before any intersection and resumes pasted the intersection. The electric trains are long enough so that they are always in contact with a third rail. I.e. As the front of the train loses contact with a third rail, the rear of the train is still in contact with the third rail. The rear of the train only ends it contact with the third rail as the front of the train reconnects with the third rail. This is to prevent electrocution of people using the intersection.

Third rail system uses connection either on their own rught of way, or (in the past) a underground system that people could not touch. How do you achieve that on a wireless system? In a garage it is possible, provided the system turns itself off when not in use, but on public highways? On limited access highways such a system is possible but you will still have cases of people walking from their disabled cars into the charger.

Such a system will also make all parking lots, just parking lots, not make shift playgrounds. Furthermore bow do you prevent someone from stepping on a charger after he had parked his own car?

Sorry, this may be usable in garage but not on the streets and I doubt even useable in public parking lots. To dangerous. This is why the old streetcar systems used overhead wires, safer even at higher voltage and amperage.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. It works by induction, not conduction

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_induction
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_charging

[happyslug]

3. 240 Volts powering 6.6, 10 and even 19KW hours

That is a lot of power and just because it is getting to the car by induction, does not make it safe. Technically no charge should transfer in an induction system, but if someone has a metal ring, belt buckle, keys, bra etc, that can carry a "Charge", the induction will transfer power. In fact an induction system could bypass rubber shoes, that would protect someone in an conduction situation, and connect to the keys the person is carrying, The energy in the key will not transfer to the person, but the keys can get so hot to cause the person's clothes to catch on fire (and go forbid it is a woman wearing a metal based bra).

Just because the system is induction rather then conduction does not make it safe. That 6.6, 10 and 19 kw is a huge amount of power.

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. Hmmm…

I guess that would explain why they’re testing them…

…

After initial testing, researchers will send the vehicles and charging units for validation testing at Idaho National Laboratory. ORNL has already sent one of its developed vehicles there for researchers to fully examine, and Hyundai will be doing the same as soon as it finalizes its prototype. This form of testing ensures that the systems meet international safety standards. For example, the transmitted energy cannot interfere with a pacemaker and other medical devices or harm human health. In addition, Idaho National Laboratory researchers will test how well these devices detect objects, so that, for instance, if a pet runs under the vehicle, the system would shut down and alert the owner.

…

In the meantime… https://www.pluglesspower.com/

[Relentless Liberal]

5. Well

When I was growing up, the future was perdicted as having NO cords or wires ANYWHERE. Our electrical appliances wouldn't need cords: we would just plug a cordless thingie into a socket, and it would transmit a signal to our fridges, TVs, lights, etc., which were going to have receptors to turn them on. Didn't happen. I do hope this time is different, though.

[hunter]

6. Similar schemes for buses are already in use.

The chargers are installed underneath the road surface at bus stops. These buses "kneel" to pick up and drop off passengers, reducing the gap between the inductors.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/transportation/infrastructure/another-transit-system-tests-inductivecharging-buses

I recall another rechargeable bus system that used a more conventional system of overhead electrical contacts, which seems the more robust solution to me. That's just an elaboration on existing electric bus and streetcar systems.