Project Better Place's technology demonstration electric car is a converted Renault. It makes use of conventional conductive charging that requires a cable and plug. The proposed inductive charger illustrated in the video will be 'hands-free' and safe.
Will Project Better Place and Renault Nissan Alliance's electric cars be inductively charged?
Open Access Article Originally Published: July 03, 2008
That's a distinct possibility if you take the Project Better Place promotional video below at face value.
Inductive charging, which utilizes magnetic fields to pass electrical current in order to recharge an electric car, was used in the GM EV1 and is still used in the 600 or so Toyota RAV4 EVs still in operation. Instead of making physical contact between a plug and its receptor, the device illustrated in the video would simply need to be within reasonably close proximity to the vehicle's charging port -- in this case at the bottom of the trunk space where the gasoline tank once was.
GM, especially, touted its inductive "paddle"-based system as superior in safety to the competing conductive -- direct contact -- cable and plug approach currently used on most other electric cars.
If Project Better Place plans to go the inductive route -- and a Germany company developed the pavement based charging system some years ago -- that won't preclude the systems ability pass current both ways. Part of the appeal of electric cars is their anticipated capability someday to help provide additional energy storage and power regulation services for the local grid. Shai Agassi, the founder of Project Better Place, told EV World that the cars Renault Nissan are developing for him will have this capability in the cars he plans to offer with his system that is being planned for Israel, Denmark and now Portugal.
Presumably a future charging system will automatically drop a charging plate from the bottom of the vehicle onto the pavement where matching plate using a magnetic field will pass current to the car's battery. While there is some loss of overall efficiency this way, it should make up for it in convenience and safety. Since there is no actual current being passed, there is no danger of electric shock, even if the floor is wet.
It's a very user-friendly system that will likely gain popularity as we move ever-closer to an EV world.
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9 comments so far...
06-Jul-2008
62559
Having a network of induction charging on interstate freeways, like a street car network, would increase the range to coast to coast nonstop.
Posted by: gary gorman
07-Jul-2008
62573
I don't really know the science, but wouldn't it be possible to turn a highway into a power generator. The movement of the cars creating electricity. And could the power generated be fed to electric cars as they moved along that highway to keep them topped up.
Initially the few electric cars could get the power created by the many chemically powered cars for a nominal charge as an incentive to switch. And as the number of electric vehicles increases, and there's a net draw on the system, the price rises, but hopefully by not too much as the efficiency of the system improves.
Posted by: Ian S
07-Jul-2008
62598
Ian, the generation of electricity using the movement of cars along the highway would add resistance to their motion. There are forces on magnets and wires moving through an electric field. So that would slow the cars down.
I don't know the term, but when you say: 'And could the power generated be fed to electric cars as they moved along that highway to keep them topped up.', I don't think you understand the concept of conservation of energy, if a car driving along the highway could power itself just by driving, could it not drive forever?
The practice of regenerative braking (used in hybrids and EVs) is similar to what you are thinking, but this technique uses the generation of energy to slow the car down when you want to slow down.
Sorry to not post about the article, I just wanted to keep us in touch with reality.
Posted by: Greg Ericksen
08-Jul-2008
62606
Actually inductive current can beside charging the battery also be used to move the car, just as in a linear motor.
So inductive current if managed properly can become the future. (digital management of wave mechanics can help)
I have a biology training and biology teaches us that the main electric charges are kept on the cell wall. Why not using the big car surface to create huge capacitance recharging after use by photo-electric or inductive mechanisms?
Those are just some ideas to stop wasting oil (needed to develop plastics, drugs etc..) and use clean energy.
Posted by: willy lipschutz
08-Jul-2008
62615
I agree 100% with mr Warren Heath, no need for induction charging batteries to start runing electric cars.
Conecting a cable is much safer,cleaner and practical than gasoline filling up,and plus no need for "gas station" or "charging station",plug it at home.
Posted by: antonio queiroz
04-Jul-2008
62533
Shai Agassi has 200 million dollar to spend and he is spending on Video ad, hmmmmm, this is not a solution. This is propaganda for a bad ideal.
Where is a real thing, I just see a computer animation.
Housedna.com
Posted by: jag singh
04-Jul-2008
62536
This is one of those ideas that looks good on paper but when you try to bring it to reality, only 'might work'. I have a degree in electrical engineering and I can tell the concept will waste just as much or even more energy than what makes it into the car. The EV1 magnecharger had a pretty low transfer efficiency compared to the conductive system.
Posted by: Randy C
13-Jul-2008
62708
Warren called it there. Nutty idea alright. If you’re so dumb you can’t plug a car in without killing yourself, then you’re an air thieving slug that needs to be removed from the gene pool right away.
Posted by: Ura Farkknuckle
03-Jul-2008
62527
What a stupid idea. Make battery charging way more inefficient - for what - safety - get a life - people plug in 120 vac & 240 vac appliances by the billions every day, just like battery chargers. If you're extremely paranoid, just add Ground Fault protection or even Spark Detection or Isolation Transformers. That makes 1000X more sense. Don't waste valuable efficiency on stupid, nutty ideas, like GM and Toyota did.
Posted by: Warren Heath
