Eco Factor: Contactless charging system for electric cars.
Out of the many drawbacks of electric cars of today, the most prominent is the lack of ample battery power for a long drive. While some car manufacturers are eyeing the use of renewable energy that can charge the onboard batteries on the move, an engineering company called Ingenieurgesellschaft Auto und Verkehr (IAV) is working on ways to recharge electric cars as they are being driven or parked without any actual contact between the road and the car.
The technology calls for inductive loops that could be buried in a roadway and would generate a magnetic field without the need for a cable connection. When an electric current is flowing through a conductor, a magnetic field is generated, which can be used to provide power to the vehicle when it’s either in motion or is simply parked.
In addition to extending the range of electric cars, the system can also be used as a remote control, which can make a car run on a “virtual rail” to reach a programmed destination. The company claims that the system is highly efficient, as only 10% of the power is lost during the contactless power transfer.
Via: Gizmag
