Charging while driving becoming a reality

[tinrobot]

KAIST's On Line Electric Vehicle draws energy from the road, now in use in S. Korea.

In September, the Korea Advanced Institute of Technology (KAIST) demonstrated the technical concept for the On Line Electric Vehicle (OLEV) using individual cars (which were really kind of cute – see them here). Today, the KAIST launched an actual prototype electric train that draws energy through non-contact magnetic charging from power strips embedded in the road. The train, with three cars, is now in use at an amusement park in Gwacheon, south of Seoul. The power strips are only required in 400 meters of the 2.2-kilometer (1.4-mile) route, or about 18-20 percent of the total distance. KAIST will build a larger system in Seoul for buses if the technology in the train proves successful.

Why is all this important? Because, by drawing energy from the road as it moves along, the train can use a battery that is only 20 percent as large and powerful as would otherwise be required. There's a serious cost reduction as well – with the cost shifted to installing the power strips into the road. Overall, the total cost for electric vehicles is about a third of what standalone electric vehicles cost. KAIST president Suh Nam-Pyo had high praise for the technology:

The potential for application (of this technology to public transport systems) is limitless. I dare say this is one of the most significant technical gains in the 21st century.

http://green.autoblog.com/2010/03/09/kaists-on-line-electric-vehicle-draws-energy-from-the-road-now/

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This is pretty cool to see it actually in use.

I could see it used here in the US on interstates. Cars could run on batteries and traditional fixed point charging within cities, and use on-road inductive charging on the longer distances between cities. If you placed inductive charging on just the interstate highways, it would allow BEVs to travel across the country without ever stopping.

[WheelWalker]

1. Way Cool !!!

[dkf]

2. Talk about a need for infrastructure...

And what happens when the road gets all yucky and needs to be repaved? Our roads suck.

[tinrobot]

4. Create special charging lanes, charge extra for the electricity

The money from people using the charging lanes goes to keep the road all smooth.

I also think this technology would work best on major roads such as interstates and major highways that typically are better maintained.

I really don't see it being used on surface streets within cities, which are less well maintained. Additionally, ripping up an entire city to install something like this would be very difficult and expensive, particularly considering that fewer cars are on any given road, lessening the return on investment.

[Statistical]

9. Talk about all the jobs.

We need green and we need jobs right?

[madokie]

3. That has to be the coolest idea yet

Each vehicle could have a unique number and address where you got your bill once a month for the power you used only. Way cool idea for sure

[BeFree]

5. I can dig it...K&R

[XemaSab]

6. Would it be possible to make power lanes

and have a rod that pops up like a streetcar so that the car can charge while driving in special lanes? At least here in California, the pavement is usually in terrible shape, and it seems like above-ground power would cut down the costs of repaving.

(I don't know anything about this technology, so it's completely speculative on my part.)

[tinrobot]

7. It's inductive, not conductive.

So no physical contact is required, and there's no dangerous "third rail"

Still, I'd imagine the coils would have to be reasonably close to the road to work, so a smoother road would always be better. Special lanes with weight and speed limits could help keep the roads maintained.

[Statistical]

8. It would be very cool for interstates.

Major problem with EV is limited range.
However if you recharged while on the highway it would vastly increase range. Not every road needs this just the roads that increase range.
Most long distance travel is via highway meaning a vehicle with range of x miles would become x miles + furthest you can travel on "charged roads".

Utilities + governments would get the most bang for buck by picking highways between cities and suburbs to start rolling out this technology.
However like everything EV some sort of industry standardization needs to happen.

There needs to be standardized plug, standardized retail chargers, standardized method of identification/payment, standardized induction coils, etc.

The great thing is induction can be used for more than roads. Imagine specially marked (by color) parking spaces that you park an EV in and it charges while you shop. Eventually you could even install one in your garage so there is no need to plug the car in. Simply drive it into garage and your car is charging.

It will take an entire EV ecosystem for EV to have real penetration in transportation industry.

[happyslug]

10. Tesla broadcast electricity is alive and well I see.

Yes, Tesla sent electric power through the air around 1900, the problem was NOT that it could be done but how do you charge people for its use? Presently you hook up to a power outlet and a meter runs and tells you how much electricity you have used and then sends you a bill. With any time of broadcast electricity anyone can receive the electric power and there is no way to determine how much, if any, they have used.

Now, as this system is designed if restricted to vehicles that is owned by the people installing the system then the above problem is NOT a problem. A similar situation occurs when someone sets up overhead wires to run a streetcar/LRV system. Anyone with a pantograph or trolley wheel can hook up to the overhead cable and use the electric power. The owners of the overhead line can NOT stop them, but such a device (Trolley wheel or Pantograph) is so conspicuous it is easy to see you are stealing power and be charged. This system has the problem in that the device to pull power can be hidden from public view and thus no detectable. Thus a system ripe for theft.

One way around such theft is to have some sort of controller on who gets the access to the power. The problem is this is electricity NOT data and all one needs is to find out how to plug in. I point this out to all those people who will mention the various controls used on the internet. The problem is none of those controls prevent someone just entering a site, which is all you need to pull electric power from the site. The controls prevent you from getting into the data of the site, but in this case the data is NOT what is wanted, the electric power itself is what is being "mined". Hard to put on a adequate method of theft control in such a system. Overhead wires may be a better option.

[Statistical]

11. It is a challenging solution however there are methods to prevent theft.

Use a system similar to speeding cam aimed at the "power lane".
Cars that have active paying account emit a coded signal (like speedpass system for toll roads).

If "charge camera" detects a vehicle in lane and not emitting signal it takes a picture of license plate (just like running through speedpass lane at tollboth without valid speedpass). IIRC (electrical engineering is not my strong suit) when you have induction you create a resonance in the source of the power. To eliminate false positives (vehicles in lane not using power in case of mixed traffic) the camera can detect local induction field.

So vehicle in lane + no valid coded signal + induction field = theft of energy = "charge camera" takes photo of license plate.


Person gets ticket in mail for 150% of average annual electrical usage split 50/50 with utility and local government.
In the case of mistaken person could show proof of valid "charge account" at time of ticket to get it dismissed.

The system gets even more comprehensive with future technology. Many localities are already looking at RFID encoded license plates to uniquely identify vehicles, prevent license plate theft/counterfeit, verify tags/registration, etc.

Once all plates become RFID enabled there is no need for a separate box. Utility would simply match RFID code from license plate against list of paying customers and fine those who are nonpaying.

So while you can't prevent theft easily you can enforce it enough that most people will not try.

[happyslug]

12. 20-40 year implementation period

Just to replace most license plates will take 4-5 years (PA, my home state, has a habit of not replacing plates for 20 years at a time, I still have on the same plates I put on my Jeep when I purchased it in 1996). Now installing the electric system will take longer, replacement of most Concrete is after about 20-30 years of usage (Often asphalted over for the last 10-20 years of its life). Just compared that to an overhead system that can be installed on the same road within 2-3 years and you quickly see this systems chief limitation, there are more cost effective ways to do this (provide electric power) AND such system, like the third rail mentioned above, provide a much higher level of power with less loss.

Maybe because I can accept a future without automobiles is why I have a tendency to reject this "solution" but if you reject automobiles and accept the idea of electric powered public traffic vehicles as the wave of the future, the lower costs, the quicker to install, and the greater power available makes an overhead system much more desirable then this in ground system. All this system is, is an attempt to make a overhead electrical system without the overhead wires. To do so safely it must be underpowered do to the possibility of the electrical power charging something not intended to be charged (Like your body). That underpowered current restricts how much electrical power can be provided by the system (Thus this system is designed to assist buses with pre-charged batteries so smaller batteries can be used). Yes, this system can be used with cars and an overhead system is hard for a car to use (Mostly do to the fact LRVs, Streetcars, Buses and Trucks are so much taller and thus the overhead wires must be well above the road bed and thus well above most automobiles) but if you opt for public transportation as the main means of transport overhead wire makes sense (And such overhead wires can be and have been used to propel rubber tired buses, "trolley-buses" and even trucks, if such buses and trucks have a pantograph or trolley wheel to attach to the overhead wires).

Back to the use of such power to power electric cars. Such a system with its inductive electric system could be slowly implemented, with use on road where buses operate now. i.e. replace the diesel buses with some sort of electrical bus pulling power from the system. This justifies installing the system. Then permit people who drive their cars on that road to opt into the system. The problem is such roads tend to be avoided by people driving their cars do to the buses on the road. So very limited opportunity for car to use the system. You an install it on a Limited Access inner city Highway but most buses avoid such highways for buses are used to pick up and drop off people and that is NOT permitted in Limited Access Highways. Thus it would have to be installed with the knowledge it would NOT be used till after people get cars to use the system. Most planners will say, wait a minute, lets wait till we have enough cars that can use the system before it is installed. At the same time most people buying a car will wait to buy a car with such a system till the system is installed (yes a classic chicken or the egg dilemma, no one will do X till the infrastructure for X exists but no one will build the infrastructure till people starting doing X). To avoid this problem the Koreans are designing the system around its bus fleet, the infrastructure and user of that infrastructure are installed together. Thus the real issue is how to do both at the same time? In the US buses avoid the limited Access Highway do to a lack of passengers to pick up (And I am referring to buses used for public transportation NOT long distance trips). The roads most used by buses, tend to be avoided by most car drivers for the traffic is slow (one of the factors being the buses stopping to drop off and pick up passengers). Truckers are NOT an option for they want the ability to go almost anywhere in the USA, and such a system will NEVER be able to do that (Or not within the next 50 years). Trains are an option, but they want a lot of electrical power and this system can not provide that power (Through overhead and third rail systems can).

Just comments as to why I do NOT think this system will be much more then a marginal system. The cost to build, the low power available and that other more effective and cheaper solution to the problem (if you restrict the problem to buses, trains, trucks, LRVs, Streetcars and other larger Vehicles) are available. The American People have a love affair with the automobile that will NOT be satisfied with public transportation and thus all and any solution to the problem of lost of the automobile will be tried before it is abandoned. Such an abandonment will lead to concentration of populations as people start to pay a premium to be near public transportation and with it an end and reversal of suburban sprawl. Most cars will survive but most people will give up on them as the cost to operate a car gets to high. Certain things will have to be done by car (Europe for example, have more car per capita then the US today, but uses them about 1/2 to 1/3 of the time, trips and miles then a typical American, certain things are best done in a car, but if the price is to high other options are preferred) but if a reasonable alternative way is available you be surprise how many people will opt for it.