{"id":6948,"date":"2011-05-10T19:52:55","date_gmt":"2011-05-10T23:52:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbach.net\/blog\/?p=6948"},"modified":"2022-08-29T12:56:31","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T16:56:31","slug":"wireless-electric-car-charging-technology-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wireless-electric-car-charging-technology-coming\/","title":{"rendered":"Wireless Electricity for Car Charging Coming"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WirelessThomas Lee<\/a> at Xconomy<\/em><\/a> reports<\/a> that Delphi<\/a> and WiTricity<\/a> of Watertown, MA demo’d a wireless\u00a0 electricity charging system for cars at the Society of Automotive Engineers<\/a> (SAE) annual World conference<\/a> in Detroit<\/a>. The demo was the result of a seven-month partnership between the firms to use WiTricity\u2019s technology to wirelessly transmit electricity via magnetic waves to charge electric cars.<\/p>\n

\"Delphi<\/a>The charging system developed by Delphi<\/a> and WiTricity would enable cars powered with electricity to reboot without having to plug into a power source via a cord according to Xconomy<\/em>. It would only need cars to park over a wireless electrcity source on the floor of a garage or embedded in a paved parking spot, which would then transfer the power to the vehicle\u2019s battery charger.<\/p>\n

WiTricity, founded by MIT physics professor<\/a> Marin Soljacic<\/a> in 2007, has designed a transmission coil that connects to a small electronics module and converts the traditional electric current found in a home or office to a higher frequency and voltage, to create an oscillating magnetic field around the coil. The article says if a separate coil designed to resonate to the same frequency is close enough to the source, power is transferred between the two coils.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The article quotes Mr. Sumner who says the prototype generates about 95 percent efficiency, meaning only five percent of the power being generated gets lost in transmission. Delphi hopes all cars equipped with the technology will get at least 90 percent. The pad powering the Chevy prototype was transmitting about 2.6 kW, or 16 amps, of electricity, about the equivalent of Delphi\u2019s current Level 2<\/a> wired chargers.<\/p>\n

Randy Sumner Delphi\u2019s director of global hybrid vehicle business development says WiTricity\u2019s technology enabled Delphi to design much smaller coils and achieve greater distance between the bottom of the car and the charging pad. In theory, this could allow bigger trucks and vehicles to also use the technology. In an interview, Andrew Brown, Delphi\u2019s executive director, and chief technologist says wireless charging will go a long way to boosting the popularity of electric cars. Wireless charging pads could be installed in home garages, parking lots, offices, shopping centers, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will eliminate this range anxiety,\u201d says Mr. Brown, referring to consumers who worry they will run out of juice before finding the next charging station. Also, he says, \u201cThe average consumer is not accustomed to electric cars. [They worry] \u2018Am I going to get dirty?\u2019 or \u201cWill I get electrocuted?\u2019\u201d Wireless charging<\/a> helps with both those issues. All consumers have to do is \u201cpark and charge,\u201d Mr. Sumner says in the article.<\/p>\n

The author notes that Delphi still faces a long road from lab prototype to mass production. The company needs to work with OEMs to figure out how to best integrate WiTricity\u2019s technology into cars. Delphi envisions a car that can be charged both by wired and wireless charging stations. The company also needs to find ways to shrink the electronics and reduce overall cost. Delphi officials estimate the first cars using it will roll off the assembly lines in 2014 or 2015. \u201cThis is real,\u201d Mr. Sumner says. \u201cThis works.\u201d<\/p>\n

rb-<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The idea of wireless electricity is not new. I have followed wireless electricity since 2008, here<\/a> and here<\/a><\/em>. Look Ma! No wires!<\/em><\/p>\n

What do you think?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Can a car be wirelessly charged like an iPod?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Related article<\/h6>\n