Current Research

Non-contact On-the-Move Charging of Electric Vehicles

Principal investigators:

Steve Hung, Pierluigi Pisu and Todd Hubing

Sponsor:

Internal startup funds

Brief abstract: 

Vehicle refueling/recharging strategies to date assume the need to rapidly replenish energy vehicle onboard energy stores in a short amount of time. Such an assumption leads to an energy storage capacity/robustness trade-off for electric vehicles. The research in this effort explores requirements for electromagnetic transfer of energy from a roadway to an electric vehicle at lower replenishment rates while the vehicle is moving. It also accounts for electric utility requirements for accurate energy transfer tracking and billing.

Impact: 

Economically viable non-contact, on-the-move electric vehicle charging could greatly reduce the capacity/robustness trade-off that presently holds back viability of electric vehicles.

Project schedule:

Simulation results by spring 2009. Low-power/low-speed test results by spring 2010, and full-speed test results by spring 2011.