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Stanford Develops Technology to Charge EVs While in Motion

Magnetic-resonance system could solve range anxiety.

By Douglas Newcomb Feb 8, 2012 2:24PM
In addition to paying a premium to be a pioneer and guinea pig, electric-vehicle owners have to deal with range anxiety. Unlike conventional cars that burn fossil fuels -- and can go hundreds of miles before needing to pull up to the pump -- EVs can travel only around 100 miles at best before having to stop to plug in.

In an ideal world, EVs would not only charge wirelessly -- and we've seen stationary wireless charging schemes -- but also receive juice while on the go via an as-yet-developed infrastructure. Since university research is all about solving such problems, particularly when it comes to technology, the brains at Stanford University's Global Climate and Energy Project have come up with a concept to charge EVs on the go using magnetic-resonance technology embedded in roadways.

Like most breakthroughs, the work of the Stanford team is built upon previous research from other universities. We reported last May on similar on-the-road-charging​ concepts from Utah State University and the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. In Stanford's case, its expanding on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's use of magnetic resonance to wirelessly power a light bulb more than 6 feet away -- even with objects between the bulb's receiving coils and the power source.

Stanford researchers wanted to send considerably more power -- 10-kilowatt bursts that they believe may keep an EV charged while moving at highway speeds -- between the source and receiving coils. This is where things gets geeky: The Stanford team used computer modeling to design a system that could transfer said power. What they came up with is a source coil with a 90-degree bend on top of a metal plate that could transfer 10 kW to an identical coil in a vehicle 6.5 feet away. They achieved a 97 percent energy-transfer efficiency, much higher than similar systems. And the Stanford researchers think they can further refine the system for even better results.

Of course, it's a long, expensive road from a university research lab to real-world use on highways. But the Stanford researchers have filed for a patent on the technology and plan to conduct driving tests that involve embedding coils in pavement, ones that would constantly charge EVs as they drive over it. They've also brought in colleagues from Stanford's engineering department to help design coils that can withstand the rigors of the road.

Richard Sassoon, co-author of the study and managing director of the Stanford project, explained in the Stanford Report what sounds like the holy grail for EVs: "What makes this concept exciting is that you could potentially drive for an unlimited amount of time without having to recharge. You could actually have more energy stored in your battery at the end of your trip than when you started."

It would be like driving a fossil-fuel vehicle and having more in the tank than when you started. That could certainly give EV ownership a huge jolt.
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3Comments
bluefxstc
Feb 9, 2012 10:05AM
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I drive an electric car as my daily driver and don’t have any range anxiety.  My car has a range of about 70 miles but since I only drive about 35-40 miles (22 round trip to work, 11 round trip to the gym and an errand) per day I have no worries.  I plug it in when I get home and when I come out the next day, the batteries are full.  Cost for electricity is about $0.03 per mile, the power plants are cleaner than virtually all cars, and no money to the middle east.  If I need to take a trip longer that the range of my electric vehicle I drive my gas car.  Life with an electric vehicle is great.

SHELBY5090
Feb 9, 2012 9:48AM
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Yeah, that's it charge while-u-drive!! Great technology!! Probably will work. Got one question. Who's gonna pay for it? In this country today, we haven't got the money to pave a highway, let alone plant underground lines. Oh, there is a way, but we might have to cut back on a few new schools or road projects in Afghanistan!!

Joshroxx
Feb 9, 2012 8:59AM
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Why not have a small turbine like a vented roller pin  or multiple turbines as spoiler generating some constant  power as car  is in motion?As for wind turbines make a light weight magnetize the tips of the blades and frame +and - field creating a  constant field of movement constant instead of drawing power to have continuous motion along with wind?
 
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