By Mary Velan
Gov1
Electric cars have already started to find their place in municipal fleets - offering cost savings and reduced emissions to help a city achieve sustainability goals. As a result, more cities are investing in electric car technology to make the vehicles convenient for both public agencies and individual citizens.
No Plug?
A tech startup in Boston has been experimenting with a new solution that would allow electric cars and plug-in hybrids to recharge their batteries without the need to plug the vehicles into charging stations. WiTricity is developing the technology to transmit energy to a receiver on the car’s undercarriage wirefree from a small pad placed on the floor of a garage. All drivers would have to do is park the car on the pad and it will charge automatically, San Francisco Gate reported.
WiTricity is one of several tech companies researching wireless solutions for electric vehicle charging. The push for wireless charging can be seen in other sectors of the tech industry such as wireless charging of personal electronics and medical devices. In fact, Toyota has already raised $45 million to back the WiTricity initiative, while other automakers are incorporating similar technology in their new designs, San Francisco Gate reported.
While wireless cars have yet to reach the sales numbers of traditional personal vehicles, many in the tech sector believe the more convenient charging option will help spur interest in the environmentally-friendly options. In fact, Navigant Research predicts annual sales of wireless electric car charging stations could reach $302,000 by 2022, San Francisco Gate reported.
Researchers support this prediction by comparing the wireless electric charging capabilities to other features once considered luxury items throughout the history of cars. For example, power windows and automatic garage door openers may have seemed novel at first, but are now considered standard across all vehicle segments.
How It Works
The technology being developed by WiTricity uses a wire coil in the charging pad to create an oscillating magnetic field. This field then generates an electric current into a similar receiving coil located on the undercarriage of the car or another portable device such as a phone. The transmitter in the pad remains off until the car pulls up and is parked directly above. The wireless charging activity could be easily applied to public charging as the magnetic fields travel through a variety of materials. This will allow the pad to be protected from severe weather or vandalism while still offering charging capabilities, San Francisco Gate reported.
Drive and Charge
In the UK, researchers are already testing technology that would allow electric vehicles to charge automatically while they drive. Charging technology embedded under the surface of the road would enable electric vehicles to be driven longer distances without having to stop and charge the batteries. The goal is to make electric vehicles even more efficient and cost-effective for drivers, Gizmag reported.
Similar to the transmitter pad being tested in the US, the charging technology under the surface of the roads would be able to pass through a variety of materials to connect the electricity-generating technology with the receiving component on the vehicle.
Expanding Energy Storage
The state of California is working with Japan to develop a network of fast-charging electric vehicle stations in northern California. The goal of the partnership is to showcase the capabilities of redox flow battery storage technology that would greatly increase the value and efficiency of electric vehicles. Furthermore the partnership will promote and widen the adoption of electric vehicles in the state by increasing the number of direct current fast charging stations along northern California highways. The energy storage project will demonstrate a redox flow battery capable of improving grid integration of renewable electricity. Taken together, these projects increase the market for EVs and the likelihood they will be powered by clean electricity.