Wireless Charging
Germany Testing Wireless Induction Charging for Electric Buses
http://inhabitat.com/wireless-induction-charging-for-electric-vehicles-to-be-tested-on-german-buses/
Primove, a subsidiary of transportation giant Bombardier, just announced plans to test wireless induction charging on public buses in Manheim, Germany! In a few months the company will outfit two buses with “invisible” inductive technology that powers the vehicles with wireless chargers installed below the asphalt of existing bus routes.
Induction works by creating a magnetic field using conductors. Primove uses rods of varying lengths buried underneath the asphalt to act as those conductors. The magnetic field then generates electricity when another conductor, in this case a vehicle, comes in contact with the field. The electricity that’s generated is then picked up by the undercarriage of the vehicle and routed to its battery.
Charging can happen when the vehicle is stopped or even just moving over the induction surface. When there is no vehicle within its field, the charger is inactive. And according to Primove, its induction rods won’t interfere with cell phones or pacemakers. The best part about this wireless technology is that it isn’t susceptible to water or the weather.
A key benefit to Primove’s inductive charging system is that it allows for continuous electric bus operation due to high-power charging locations embedded within existing bus routes. Another benefit is that by extending battery life with intermediary inductive charging, electric vehicle batteries can get smaller and make more room for passengers. Plus, induction charging lowers the cost of ownership of an electric vehicle as you can charge your battery for free by just driving on the streets with embedded chargers.
Electrify the Roads
Last updated: June 22, 2010
Source: Truthout
My magic wand is on the fritz, otherwise we’d have a big, new federal program to free America from its dependence on oil. Like other environmentalists, I’m sad that the calamity in the Gulf of Mexico hasn’t spurred Washington to more vigorously promote America’s exit from this curse.
The fault may lie with President Obama’s timidity, a public scared by major new government programs or fossil-fuel interests flashing their campaign dough. Probably it’s all three, but the bottom line is this: An all-out effort to unchain America from hydrocarbons is essential to national security, a healthy environment and economic prosperity in the 21st century. But it’s not politically possible.
And so we must look at what’s passable. Fortunately, there’s one piece to the escape strategy that business leaders, military brass and the buying public all like — and would create jobs. Most importantly, it has bipartisan support in Congress.
We speak of electric cars, specifically the “Electric Vehicle Deployment Act of 2010.” Sponsored by Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the bill’s goal is to electrify half of America’s cars and trucks within 20 years. That, its backers say, would cut America’s dependence on petroleum by a third. Similar legislation is before the House.
The Senate bill would name at least five communities to be models for electric-vehicle transportation. They would build stations where motorists could recharge their cars’ batteries. Residents would be offered a $10,000 tax credit to buy electric cars. And the federal government would put $1.5 billion into research for improving electric-car technology.
Electric cars don’t appear to be a very hard sell to those who would buy them. The first all-electric model, the Nissan Leaf, will hit the U.S. market at the end of the year. (The batteries will be made in Smyrna, Tenn.) But you won’t be able to just pick one up, because the year’s production is already sold out. More than two-thirds of the 19,000 preorders are from the United States.
The Chevy Volt will reach showrooms around that time. Its battery range of 40 miles is considerably smaller than the Nissan Leaf’s 100 miles, but the Volt has a small gasoline engine to keep the car going if a recharging station is not handy.
In any case, more than 75 percent of Americans commute 40 miles or less a day. That means most of them could plug in their Volts at the end of the day and drive off fully charged in the morning.
Being both an environmentalist and a fan of high automotive performance can be awkward. But car makers are learning to put zoom into their fuel-efficient models. The Ford Fusion Hybrid, for example, gets 41 miles-a-gallon in the city, but can pull away from a stoplight at a respectable pace. “Sustainable mobility solutions” need not be as boring as they sound.
What about the source of the electric power? Although an all-electric vehicle puts out zero emissions, that is probably not true of the plant that provides the electricity. While California has moved its mix of electricity sources toward clean, renewable energy, other parts of America are still highly dependent on dirty, coal-powered plants.
However, electric cars cut global warming pollution even where coal supplies the power, according to a study by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. That’s because cars plugged in overnight employ unused capacity in the current electric system.
So let the brawl over cap-and-trade proceed. Outside of the oil business, most everyone seems enthusiastic about accelerating a move toward electric cars. Nothing should stop Congress from revving up the process. Right?