Scientists work on in-road charging for EV's

BMW LONDON 

Electric vehicles may work for the everyday commuter looking to cut fuel costs, but what about those EV owners looking for a road trip? How do you travel cross-country when you're tethered to your charging station?

Txchnologist, which is GE's new digital science and technology magazine, details a possible solution in this week's "The Road in 2030" issue. The Energy Dynamics Laboratory at Utah State University is working on an "electrified roads" concept, whereby taking your EV to the streets would charge the vehicle, rather than running out its battery.

EVs could gather electricity by driving over charging pads that would be buried under the road and connected to the electrical grid. This power supply could allow EVs to cut their battery size by as much as 80 percent.

Manufacturers are already showing wireless charging pads for EVs, but technology will need to be streamlined before this power transfer can take place between a moving vehicle and the road underneath it. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology is conducting a trial of electric roads, though with slow speeds and long charging pads.

Researchers at Utah State would hope eventually to enable charging at interstate speeds, the university's Hunter Wu said. It may eventually be possible to transfer up to 30 kilowatts of power at 80-percent efficiency while on the highway.

Source: Autoweek