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Kevin Bullis is Technology Review’s energy editor.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Dedicated Charging Lanes for Electric Vehicles

Nissan says wireless charging could make it easier to keep EVs topped off.

Most potential owners of electric vehicles (EVs) worry about the convenience of charging, so Nissan is developing ways to charge EVs without plugging them in, the Guardian reports.

The idea is to make special charging bays that use the same inductive-charging mechanisms used to charge electric toothbrushes or the new Palm Pre phone. Drivers won't have to remember to plug the car in when they get out. Eventually, a series of these chargers embedded in roadways could charge cars as they drive along, according to the article. But though that may be technically feasible, it would waste energy because it's less efficient than plugging in a car. It's also not clear that it would be worth the cost.

Inductive charging works only at very close range (with the Pre, the phone is in physical contact with the charger). Researchers at MIT are developing wireless charging that works at the range of a couple of meters. You could charge up a phone merely by being in the same room as the charger.

Comments

  • Another wheel
    Why not design two smaller floating wheels on either side of the car that are essentily the coils in some durable urethane matrix. You could even put some field sensor in the car so that it only "drops" the wheels when a strong enough oscilating field is detected thus keeping wear to a minimum. Then put the powerlines near the dividing lines of the road. So long as you can draw enough power to operate the car with a small surplus it would make for a great way to extend the range of an electric car. And if you could find a way to charge for the power consumed even better. Heck modulate the power to transmit information and determine the average speed of cars running over the powerlines and maybe you could turn it into a travel information network.
    Rate this comment: 12345

    Gurthang
    07/22/2009
    Posts:34
    Avg Rating:
    4/5
  • direct contact is better
    Surely a long pole that can be extended to a nearby power line or dedicated overhead cantenery would be more efficient.  I think the best way to deal with the recharging and range problem is via continuous recharging during the trip.
    Rate this comment: 12345

    Martlark
    07/23/2009
    Posts:1
    Avg Rating:
    5/5
  • Charging Lanes
    Let's see if the power companies that could supply power to all these millions of EV cars in charging lanes will be interested in taking over the oil companies fuel supply market? I'd bet they're thinking of the billions they could make. After-all trolly's operated for 50 years with overhead wires in every major city and today subways do the same. If every car had a means to temporarily charge at parking places, charging lanes and at home docking ports it would put the oil companies fuel business on the rocks. Smaller batteries with distributed power sources nationwide would bring the cost of EV cars way down.
    Rate this comment: 12345

    audior1
    08/05/2009
    Posts:2
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