Pensacola and University of West Florida to trial wireless recharge for electric vehicles.

The public University of West Florida (UWF) and the city of Pensacola, in Florida, USA, are about to trial what will be the largest wireless recharge network in the US for electric vehicles.
The UWF and the city of Pensacola are partnering to offer to the 12,000 students of UWF the possibility to use electric vehicles for their local displacements.
The first batch will be of 75 electric vehicles and at least 150 wireless charge points installed at the UWF facilities and all over Pensacola.
The final project will include 250 electric vehicles and more than 1,000 wireless charging stations, allowing the students to move all around Pensacola and the UWF.
Wireless charging will allow students to park freely without having to plug the car and therefore use unpractical cables.

London trial of wireless charging to spark up in 2012

Up to 50 vehicles will be involved in experiment. Wireless electric car charging will become a reality on the streets of London when the largest trial of the technology in the UK kicks off next year.

An as yet unspecified number of charging points will be installed in the capital during early 2012 to supply up to 50 vehicles taking part in the experiment, source London currently boasts 200 chargers, but aims to have 1,300 up and running by 2013.
The trial will include Addison Lee, the UK's largest minicab company, and four Transport for London (TfL) vehicles kitted out to use the wireless charge points.
The charging system, that uses inductive power transfer to charge batteries via a magnetic field,  was pioneered by Arup-backed New Zealand start-up HaloIPT, which was purchased by mobile technologies company Qualcomm on Tuesday for an undisclosed sum.
"Whenever you make something wireless it increases adoption as it makes everything so much easier," says Andrew Gilbert, executive vice president at Qualcomm. "Wireless will revolutionise how people use [charging points]."
Qualcomm has not decided how long the trial will last, and that the installation of the charge pads will depend on identifying suitable locations.

Wireless Charging aims to Boost EV Appeal

A number of automakers are aiming to enhance the appeal of electric vehicles to consumers by introducing wireless charging devices. Currently, most charging relies on cords with special plugs, which according to IHS Automotive analyst Phil Gott are “a pain in the neck,” based on feedback garnered from existing Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf customers.

It is a growing belief that wireless charging devices – which eliminate the need for bulky cords – could be installed in a wider variety of locations, thus broadening the appeal of EVs.

One such example was shown when Nissan revealed such a setup for its Infiniti LE Concept at the New York International Auto Show earlier this year, which used inductive energy flow via a coil encased in a mat mounted on the ground. Audi, General Motors, Mitsubishi and Toyota are other automakers currently in the process of developing or utilizing wireless charging devices for vehicles.

In GM’s case it has invested in Powermat, a privately held company that has developed its own wireless charging device, though so far, no announcement of a GM-specific vehicle application has released (currently the company is only using it to power in-car devices such as smart phones).

However, despite dispensing with clumsy cords, wireless chargers also still have their drawbacks. Inductive charging doesn’t allow for much margin of error, thus the vehicle has to be almost perfectly aligned with the floor-mounted device.

Magnetic field chargers, such as those being developed by Delphi Corp in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, require less alignment precision than Inductive chargers to operate, though in both cases, wireless chargers are currently less efficient than cord type units. In these, around 10% of energy is lost during the charging process and they will likely be even more expensive when first introduced to market (current cost estimates are around $2,000 per device).

However, as electric vehicle offerings proliferate, along with the charging infrastructure required to support them, that cost will likely decrease significantly. A Bloomberg Energy Finance Report, released on April 27, revealed that the number of global EV charging stations is expected to triple by the end of 2012, from 28,479 last year, to 98,503.

In London, UK, a pilot scheme is currently being developed that would see wireless mats mounted in streets and enclosed parking facilities. The mats are being provided by Qualcomm, which is looking to license its technology to charger manufacturers and automakers.

Andrew Gilbert, executive vice president with Qualcomm, says up to 50 vehicles are being equipped for the pilot project. “Plug-in, is not a bad solution,” he said. “We just see this [wireless] as a great opportunity to improve the experience.”

Source: HybridCars, by Huw Evans, July 3rd, 2012

EV wireless charging on the horizon

Wireless charging mats for electric vehicles are being developed to eliminate cords and reduce EV-buyer anxiety.


Automotive News reports the charging mats are designed to sit on the floor and be plugged into a power source while coils located on the underside of the car allow wireless engagement of the charger to charge the battery while the vehicle is parked.

This means that while the mats are plugged in the car is free of any leads. IHS Automotive powertrain research analyst Phil Gott told Automotive News, “The feedback we see from initial Volt and Leaf buyers is that, ‘Gee, these cords get really dirty; gee, these cords get all tangled; what a pain in the neck.’ A wireless charger truly gives you total freedom.”

While companies like Tesla have been focusing on a plug-in “supercharger” that can re-charge one of its cars in less than an hour in a bid to alleviate consumer hesitation towards EVs, Nissan, Audi, Toyota, and Mitsubishi are among a number of other companies keen to develop wireless chargers.

General Motors has already invested $5 million into a private company called ‘Powermat’, technology the company says it’s only using to charge smartphones and other devices wirelessly from within the car.

Director of hybrid electric vehicle business and technology development at Delphi Automotive, Randy Sumner, told Automotive News the charge mat arrangement, developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), could send 3kW of electricity quickly enough to see a battery recharged in about four hours.

Automakers and suppliers expect the wireless charging technology to be ready for sale around 2015.


Source : Caradvice, by David Zalstein, July 5th, 2012

Will Wireless electric-car charging be the next big thing?

How will you be charging your electric car in future? In your garage? At work? At a rest stop somewhere with a fast charger?

Or will you be using a wireless charger, embedded in a parking spot somewhere, that you can simply park over and forget about?

It's a question many are asking, and one Evatran, a Morrisville electric charging startup, is trying to answer.

Evatran is betting on wireless charging being the next big thing with electric cars, and according to the Charlotte Observer, the concept has already been adopted by tool and appliance chain Sears, which plans to sell and install garage-based versions of the wireless system.

Wireless charging is a simple concept. Also known as inductive charging, electric coils mounted in the ground pad and the vehicle create an electromagnetic field which is converted into electrical current, charging the battery.

The ground pad can be mounted under flooring, protecting it from the elements, and deterring thieves. The distance between floor unit and car is around six inches, and charges at 240 volts.

It's all about convenience, according to Evatran. Not just from being able to park and forget with its Plugless Power system, but also to avoid having to handle dirty or damp charging plugs--or avoid spending a minute fumbling with the cord in a rainstorm.

The company also wants to beat the rush towards new technologies, too. By testing and introducing the system now, it's more likely to be ready as electric cars get more popular.

Several companies are already testing, or about to test Evatran's system, including Duke Energy, Google, Clemson University, Hertz Rent A Car and others.

At the moment, the system is only compatible with the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf. That's not proving to be too much of a barrier it seems, as Evatran has already received 180 online reservations for its Plugless Power units. Auto dealers would be required to install the car-mounted part of the unit.

The unit is expected to retail for less than $3,000, not including installation. That's significantly more than conventional rechargers, but Evatran expects that the convenience factor will draw in the buyers.

So is wireless charging the future of electric cars? Or should some other aspect of electric ownership be prioritized first? 




Source: Green Car Reports, by Andy Ingram, April 20th, 2012

Bombardier offers charge on the go e-mobility solution

Do you care for the environment and want to wear your green credentials on the sleeve? Do you want to kick your oil addiction, but remain stuck to the gasoline- powered vehicle because you do not have a choice? The automobile industry does believe that the future is more likely to lie in hybrid gasoline-electric cars and not the all-electric cars, which still face issues like how far they can travel on one charge and how long they take to recharge.

It's true that the battery technology is improving in terms of storage capacity and lowering the overall weight, but it is yet to reach a stage where you can dump your gasoline-driven car.

So it's a bind. While companies do not rule out a future for electric cars, they are yet to come out with a price and quality relevant vehicle to entice the discerning customers.

And in such a scenario, Bombardier, a global leader in rail technology, has forcefully come out with a technology, which is simple (in scientific terms) but promises to reduce environmental degradation by redefining transportation and revolutionising electric mobility across the globe.

Applied to light rail vehicles and cars, the system can save up to 30% of energy, thus reducing cost of electricity generation as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the industry research body IDTexEx, the outlook for the electric vehicle market are extremely promising. The market for full electric buses and taxis is expected to grow from $6.24 billion in 2011 to $54.1 billion in 2021, a rise of 8.7 times in the next 10 years. Of that, the electric bus market is set to account for 235,000 buses over this 10-year period.

This analysis does not take into account the introduction of new technologies such as Bombardier's Primove system, which minimises shortcomings in today's electric vehicle solutions, such as range and recharging constraints.

The company, according to market buzz, is in talks with several motor makers to test and adopt the Primove technology for their vehicles of future.

With the application of this innovative technology vehicles would get charged while on move as well, said Harry Seiffert, product director of Primove technology at Bombardier Transportation.

"Based on the principle of inductive power transfer, Bombardier's Primove technology allows trams and electric vehicles to be recharged either in motion (dynamic charging) or at rest (static charging) without affecting driving habits or journey times," he said.

It transfers energy at very high efficiency without compromising on performance and can significantly reduce energy consumption when combined with an onboard energy storage solution.

It allows all types of electric vehicles, trams and light rail, buses, cars, trucks, taxis "to operate over distances of varying lengths" without conventional overhead wires as electric supply components are hidden under the vehicle and beneath the track.

"The power transfer is activated only when they are fully covered by the vehicle, thus guaranteeing minimum electromagnetic emission. The contact-less transfer of power also significantly reduces wear and tear of the vehicle as well as the power system," Seiffert said.

When activated, the cables create a magnetic field that is captured by the vehicle's pick-up coils and is turned into electric current to feed the vehicle's traction system and charge the energy storage device.

"The Primove system is compliant with all applicable codes and standards for electromagnetic compatibility. It meets the existing requirements for magnetic field emission in public areas - in particular the guidelines of the International Commission on Non- Ionising Radiation Protection-and does not interfere with other systems or with electrical appliances such as mobile phone or heart pacemakers," he remarked.

As all electric devices are fully isolated, the Primove system does not present any health or safety hazard to passengers or other road users.

An additional benefit of the system is the integration of the energy storage solution, which is mounted on the vehicle roof: batteries store the energy released each time the vehicle breaks and allow it to be reused during the operation.

The technology has shown exceptional reliability under all environmental conditions including sand storms, heavy rain and snow, says Mickey Raviv, director of marketing (M-E) at the Bombardier Transportation.

By eliminating the overhead cables and other wires previously needed to power electric vehicles, mass transit networks can now blend in effortlessly with their surroundings especially for historic sites, heritage protected monuments and areas or green environments such as parks and gardens.

The Primove technology provides the optimum solution for attractive eco-friendly public transport.

Creating significant environmental advantage, it even allows the integration of the e-mobility system in areas where installation of conventional systems would be prohibited or difficult.

While the percentage of electric and hybrid buses is only 4.6% of the global market today, it is expected to reach 24% by 2021, even without the introduction of new technologies.

The technology has been successfully tested as pilot project in the German city of Augsburg. In Braunschweig, the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development has decided to fund the Primove technology project for commercial use.

Bombardier, together with other leading industrial partners and universities, is participating in the Flanders DRIVE research project for the inductive charging of electric vehicles in Belgium, which is being co-funded by the Flemish government.

Sections of public road in the city of Lommel and Van Hool buses have been equipped with Primove technology and both buses and cars are undergoing tests there.

With incentive for more bus operators to opt for electric buses instead of diesel, the e-mobility sector of the industry believes that Primove will significantly impact the market penetration of electric buses.

In this scenario, the Primove solution could easily and safely be termed a shining light on the mass transportation as well as e-mobility (electrical mobility) of the future.

Source: Utility Products, by Prakash Jha, June 18th, 2012

Japanese demo system that charges electric vehicles through their tyres

Scientists pass electricity through more than 10cm of concrete in latest step towards charging electric cars on the move.

Powering up the motorway may take on a whole new meaning now Japanese scientists have demonstrated a prototype for charging electric cars while they are on the move.

Researchers from the Toyohashi University of Technology successfully transmitted electricity to a pair of tyres through a 4in (10.16cm) thick concrete block at a trade show on wireless technologies in Yokohama last week.

In their demo the concrete blocks were placed under full-size car tyres to represent the road surface with metal plates in between. Between 50 and 60 watts of electricity was transmitted to the tyres, coupling to their steel belts and turning on an attached light bulb.

The researchers still have to overcome significant power loss – a similar experiment by the same team last year found around 20% of the electricity was lost in the circuit. While Takashi Ohira, an electrical engineering professor at the Toyohashi University of Technology, said the electric power needs to be increased by 100 times to actually charge a car's battery while it is running.

However, he said the components needed to augment the technology are cheaply available and insisted the system could even work through concrete double the thickness.

Wireless charging is edging closer to reality and a number of different systems have been pioneered in recent years.

Last year, mobile technologies company Qualcomm said it was looking to bring a trial to the streets of London in 2012 using an inductive power transfer system developed by Arup-backed New Zealand start-up HaloIPT.

The technology, which works in a similar way to an electric toothbrush charger, made its world debut in 2011 as part of the Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrators (CABLED) consortium testing programme.

Source: BusinessGreen, July 9th, 2012