7207ENG MAJOR ASSIGNMENT BRIEF
Title
Feasibility study for the application of wireless inductive charging for electric vehicles in Goldcoast.
Background
The number of Electric vehicles (EVs) hitting Australia’s roads is at constant rise, but one of the most significant challenges to the electric vehicle market; the lack of a suitable charging infrastructure. Currently EV charging stations are fairly low, the installation process requires extensive wiring, and in many cases, EV drivers must take great pains to seek them out. Due to their low local emissions, battery-powered electric cars are more in demand than ever, but they still have a reputation for being too expensive and having too short a driving range. The popular perception of electric vehicles is that it is a pain to keep them powered up. So how about recharging them without having to plug in a cable, while parking or even driving on the road. Imagine a world where the road itself keeps your battery juiced or your driveway starts recharging your car as soon as you park.
The advance tech of dynamic inductive en-route charging method holds the potential of giving the driver virtually limitless range as long as he stays on path specifically adapted for dynamic inductive en-route charging. EVs could even be charged while standing at the traffic light, the bus stop or the taxi stand. This could lead to a reduction of battery size or the use of capacitors which would both lower the weight and the cost for the vehicle. The development of innovative on route inductive charging technologies, would give electric vehicles longer distance autonomy, while reducing their cost. This could soon make electric vehicles, not just an option, but a no brainer and fast track the introduction of electric vehicles into the main stream market.
Case study review
The US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has made a recent breakthrough that shows promise, with a proof-of-concept 20kW (wireless) charger working at 90 per cent efficiency. That’s enough to put 97km of charge into a Tesla every hour, right on par with Tesla’s own home plug and connect chargers. Testing their system with an LED bulb, researchers in the US found that their system could transfer the same amount of power when moved around up to one metre away. Shanhui Fan and team created the wireless power transfer system that can achieve high-efficiency power transfer over varying distances using the principle of parity–time symmetry — a concept from quantum mechanics. They suggest their findings could be used for moving devices or vehicles, where the transfer distance and orientation can change continuously.
Electric buses that re-charge at bus stops and on certain segments of their fixed driving route was developed a few years ago by South Korea’s Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Continuous charging means the Online Electric Vehicle (OLEV) buses cover their routes using small batteries just a third the size of those found in a regular electric car. More recently, Swedish truck and bus-maker Scania trialled a similar system of recharging stations for buses to demonstrate such technology could still work in harsh Nordic winters.
Case study/business case/assessment
Our case study will implement the continuous road charging technique on the major roads of Gold Coast as well as wireless parking pads for charging for electric car while its parked. The road charging technology is already being implemented in France, and we are looking to check its feasibility for implementation in Gold Coast.
In Israel as well, the government is collaborating with Israeli start-up ElectRoad to install a public bus route in Tel Aviv, using an under-the-pavement wireless technology that eliminates the need for plug-in recharging stations. Also, DiUS Computing, a software technology company in partnership with network operators United Energy and the University of Melbourne, led a project which investigated how conductive EV charging on Victoria’s smart grid could be managed to meet both consumer and electricity network needs. Data from this project could provide us with the necessary insight into how to introduce inductive charging systems seamlessly into Australian infrastructure. We will also identify and conduct risk and cost analysis’s for this project and carry out the feasibility study.
Charging on the move isn’t just a convenient time-saver – it will also bring down the cost of electric vehicles themselves. Charging on the move means smaller batteries, with reduced weight, making the car more efficient. Batteries that get recharged more frequently during usage will last longer and can be made smaller while retaining the same driving range or even better.
Electric vehicles are the future of transport industry which will be replacing the combustion engine, therefor any invention or research in this field is widely sort after. Australia being one of the leading nation which attract new technology, will be flooded with electric cars in the near future, and Wireless charging could be a key factor for enabling technology to increase the adoption of electric vehicles. Through different applications of wireless induction charging for EV’s used in transportation can lead us to a more sustainable and greener future.
