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Recharge an electric car without plugging in

By | April 12, 2011, 10:35 AM PDT

Refueling an electric car may someday be as simple as finding a parking spot.

Siemens, in cooperation with BMW, has developed a technology that allows electric cars to be recharged wirelessly. The system, presented at the 2011 Hannover Messe tech show, will undergo testing in Berlin as part of a project funded by the German Environment Ministry.

Similar to a technology being tested by Google, the experimental charging stations supply power to the battery through a process known as inductive charging in which energy is transferred from a ground-based electromagnetic coil to one attached to the bottom of the car. Simply pulling in to park the vehicle brings the two parts close enough to induce charging.

Siemens says on its web site that the charging stations can be “easily incorporated into practically any setting, making them nearly invisible and effectively protecting them against vandalism and wear and tear.” The cars can also be recharged at 90 percent the efficiency of plug-in stations.

This means that existing parking lots can be retrofitted with the technology so that car owners have the convenience of being able to leave their cars unattended while it gets juiced up. And if the system is widely adopted, drivers wouldn’t need to constantly recharge at designated refueling stations.

Testing will begin a May with a 3.6 kilowatt prototype, with more trials slated for June to determine which improvements are needed to allow the system to work in real-life settings.

(via Siemens)

Photo: Siemens

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Tuan C. Nguyen

About Tuan C. Nguyen

Tuan C. Nguyen was a contributing editor for SmartPlanet from 2011 to 2013.

Tuan C. Nguyen

Tuan C. Nguyen

Contributing Editor

Tuan C. Nguyen is a freelance science journalist based in New York City. He has written for the U.S. News and World Report, Fox News, MSNBC, ABC News, AOL, Yahoo! News and LiveScience. Formerly, he was reporter and producer for the technology section of ABCNews.com. He holds degrees from the University of California Los Angeles and the City University of New York's Graduate School of Journalism.

Follow him on Twitter.

Tuan C. Nguyen

Tuan C. Nguyen

Tuan C. Nguyen does not hold any investments in the technology companies he covers.

He writes for SmartPlanet and is not an employee of CBS.

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+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
I'm just curious. In 10 years when all of the 150+ lb batteries in these electric cars wear out, what are we going to do with them?

My guess is that the majority will end up in landfills polluting our environment.
Posted by keitha73
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
electric cars
Electric cars would be great....if we got all of our electricity from nonrenewable resources. There are so many cheap car parts out there I just don't understand the short sightedness of so many of the "answers."
Posted by lackneramanda
Updated - 18th Jul 2011
0 Votes
+ -
what happens to old hybrid batteries?
When my Prius battery gets to 80% of original capacity, I'll put it in the garage connected to a device that will let me charge it at 8c/kwh and sell that back to the grid at 40c/kwh. Much later it'll be sold to someone for the lithium.
Posted by tim@...
Updated - 13th Apr 2012
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
A company called TOXCO has received a grant from the US government to expand their recycling facilities to accomodate the increased recycling volume of these large batteries. There is significant value in the minerals that can be recovered from recycling these batteries, so throwing them into a landfill would not be economical. (Scientific Ameican article 2009)
Posted by EMCam
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
I've wondered before why this wasn't being done. Now it is! But you'll only get 90% of the efficiency of the EV by charging it this way. It's probably worth it for the convenience, but a 10% loss seems rather significant.
Posted by AlanLaRue
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
Interesting point, if we calculate the total loss of 10% per day in one car and at the end of the month the total loss will go up to 300% in one car, so what is the total loss of energy behind 100 cars per month.
Used cars
Posted by steveb1986
Updated - 14th Jun 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
A German experiment is likely with cars alone. What's the energy loss for high ground clearance vehicles more common here in North America? Over time, are the savings in maintenance costs really going to be greater than the wasted energy?
You can't really predict what the parameters will be for battery disposal in the long term because battery technology is still evolving. No doubt there were lots of valid concerns when the Model T was introduced but a recycling system, imperfect as it is, eventually evolved to meet the need.
Posted by hoodedswan
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
What happens to the squirrels which seem to like to run under the parked vehicles where we live? Do they get a good enough shock to be fried?
Posted by dgage19558@...
13th Apr 2011
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
Hoodedswan,

We would make vehicles with lower clearance, or with lower-able
inductive coils. We can adapt.

With buses and semi's, they'd probably use the plug in method
anyway. Personal vehicles that have a high clearance aren't
likely to be electric anyway, as the reasons for having such a high
clearance are typically a matter of entertainment, off-road utility
or vanity, all three of which are likely to stick with internal
combustion for quite some time.

I don't see this as an engineering problem so much as an attitude
problem.
Posted by grassdogstudio
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
I have the greatest respect for Siemens, I have installed their equipment in many applications. They need to be very very careful with this one.

Everything is wired and constructed for particular reasons. Wireless is convenient to avoid the required construction costs to install these technology advancements. I say required construction costs because we construct and wire it to protect data as well as people. Humans are intricate unprotected wireless devices that run off the earth's magnetic field and emfs can be very dangerous to an unprotected electrical system.

There was an error found in safety standards regarding emf exposure because they didn't consider the electrical conflicts with human biology for what it means to electrical systems. The worst part is the health authority says stimulation of tissue is to be avoided as is a heat effect because experimental studies have shown it can lead to nerve and muscle depolarization.

Everything on the planet is made of atoms and molecules that are very vulnerable to emfs. There is a reason the earth's magnetic field protects us from solar emfs so we aren't supposed to create them within the atmosphere. It isn't designed for it.

Here is a link to a wireless application in schools and the dangers that weren't reported. There are reports from 2 professionals included and you will see their reporting on safety is seriously flawed. There is no discussion about an emf conflict or the electrical consequences. http://www.thermoguy.com/blog/index.php?itemid=55

Corporations depend on governments keeping us up to date on science changes. Health insurers aren't going to pick up costs while corporations report profits. Be careful with this one.
Posted by Thermoguy
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
I spoke last week with Head of sustainability at the Smithsonian Institute...they are working with a horizontal wind turbine company out of Austin Texas ...www.buildingturbines.com so they will not pay for the electricity used to charge their electric vehicles...they will be completely green. Mix this in and you really have something...
Posted by MCX2
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
@dgage19558...
These chargers don't transfer electricity directly. The charger
converts the electricity to an alternating electromagnetic field.
Having your vehicle's receiver in that field allows it to convert the
electromagnetic energy back into electricity (with some losses).
Posted by jackbp73
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
Inductive charging of automotive batteries
The inductive coil only needs to be automatically switched on when a compatible vehicle is detected.
Posted by TonyTrenton
27th Jul 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
Um why miss the obvious?
Electromagnetic charging stations? Please, that is not going to be cost effective and will add unnecessary infrastructure. A simple charging station with an outlet is superior and cheaper. The only thing is, automotive manufacturers need to standardize the plug and socket used.

It's the KISS method folks.

They are also missing the obvious. Solar recharging. The technology is being worked on to make the surface of the car itself photovoltaic. If Volkswagon for years can provide a solar panel for trickle charging a car's battery why can't it be incorporated into the design of an electric vehicle? Even charging the batteries as the car drives. (about as close as you get to a perpetual motion vehicle.)
Posted by NoSacredCow
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
I have been useing this on my electric toothbrush for years.
nothing new just a bigger one needed...
Posted by ronangel
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
@NoSacredCow

+1

If my car's going to sit in a sunny parking lot all day (as it did every day when I lived in El Paso and in Austin and as it does many days everywhere else I've lived), why not incorporate solar panels into the car's design indeed!
Posted by rsperberg
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
What's wrong with having both systems
The EV can have both an inductive, plug-in, and solar.
These three systems are not incompatable. The solar voltaic installation will probably be the most costly part. The other two are quite simple.
Posted by TonyTrenton
27th Jul 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
High clearance vehicles can "squat" when parked, many already
have adjustable ride height. Many people with or without electric
cars prefer to park under shade. Let's put the PVs on the shade
structure. Having lived in Phoenix, I would pay to park my car where
it doesn't burn to touch after 30 minutes in the sun.
Posted by Sunfishky
13th Apr 2011
-1 Votes
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
10% loss of energy. So for every 10 cars that are being charged,
you lose one car's worth of energy. A terrible waste.
Posted by tccedar
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
It's not wasted. It is just not used
And the efficiency will be improved as the system is developed.
Posted by TonyTrenton
27th Jul 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
@Thermoguy

Don't forget the tinfoil hat.
Posted by What the ...!
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
@keitha73: Like EmCam said, these things are full of valuable material.
Where I'd imagine they'll end up at some waste processing facility
initially, they're way too full of recyclable goodies to just toss in the
trash. Not to mention that I just paid a mandatory $12.50 yesterday to
dispose of my old car battery (refundable of course).

I'd imagine that to make all these electric cars possible on a mass
production level, (not to mention feasible/realistic) it will require more
advanced technologies, something akin to (ready for the plug?) A123
Systems' cells. The beauty with these types of technologies is that the
more advanced they get, the higher their densities become, the faster
their recharging times, and the more refine their materials need to be.
This makes them not only all the more valuable from a recycling
perspective, but also all the easier to recycle.

As far as commenting on the actual article itself... Wireless recharging
is great when it comes out but, first (mass availability of) electric cars
would be nice, and second, I'd imagine they'll recharge wirelessly via
their onboard petro-powered generators, much akin to the Chevy
Volt... all you'll need is to fill up at your local service station and pay
continued tribute to the oil gods who run our planet.
Posted by Vailhem@...
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
Inductive charging is very S*L*O*W!
Heck, my rechargeable toothbrush takes 8 hours to charge through inductive charging...I can't imagine how long it will take for a car to recharge! And woe to any creature that gets too close to the charging system while it is in charging mode!
Posted by tech_ed@...
13th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
Message has been deleted.
Posted by zhengqqm@...
Updated - 14th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
The batteries will be recycled.
Posted by skf
14th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
Isn't the field that is created by the charging hard on electronics.
Hide the memory chips!
Posted by 16Tons
14th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
Why not just PV cells on the car roof? No extensive infrastructure needed!
Posted by WJQuinn
15th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
1. It is feasible to make a 100% efficient recharging station without the need of electric conduct, but not at a distance.

2. Having 10% loss is terrible!

3. Having such a huge loss (also huge in power) means one thing: Radiation to the environment. So Siemens managed to make two big mistakes: a) Terrible efficiency, b) Electromagnetic pollution to the environment and that while charging the new generation of vehicles which are supposed to be economical, green and in general friendly to environment!

4. I don't trust Siemens. They have a history of unethical policies.
Posted by Administrator.
15th Apr 2011
-1 Votes
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
Why not just use this technology to power the cars all the time?
Posted by Derrik@...
18th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
Good Idea. But just where is the GREEN part. Thought this was the whole idea of a Electric vehicle. Don't know about you but I can wait for the Nuclear Powered car to go into production !!
Posted by norm7446
19th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
Even with the Idea of using Wind-Turbines to supply the electricity to these vehicles, the down-the-line cost is NOT going to be 100% green: Wind Turbines dont just grow out of the ground, nor are they self-maintaining.
Posted by Ray Collazo
19th Apr 2011
-1 Votes
+ -
Message has been deleted.
Posted by zhenghhm@...
Updated - 20th Apr 2011
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Recharge an electric car without plugging in
It can be a good idea only if they can guarantee that the magnetic field induced by the underground coils will not act as induction hardening ovens for the other steel parts of the underside.

Even very tightly bolted together laminations of transformers show up to 2% energy loss. 90 % efficiency would seem to be too optimistic even with a gap of a few inches.
Posted by pmshah@...
20th Apr 2011
+1 Vote
+ -
Power strip down the freeways?
Why not just put a continuous charging strip of this type in one lane of the highway that is designated for electric vehicles only? Kind of like the HOV lanes we have now. They could incorporate some type of timer to be able to bill users for the use of the lane. That might satisfy the people that are upset because EV drivers don't pay gas tax, and therefore, don't pay for road construction and maintenance. Also, you wouldn't have the issue of only being able to drive a short distance before having to plug in (or park in this case) to get recharged.
Posted by Jeffp77
28th Apr 2011
0 Votes
+ -
Power strip for electric cars
They were developing this in Japan I think. Sounds like a great idea. You could incorporate all of these ideas. All it takes is a willingness to loose the gas. Electric cars are faster and this is a very cool factor. If you get a chance test drive a Tesla. I drove one last summer and my neck hurt for a week, it was so fast. ByeBye Gas powered vehicles. Electrics will rule!
Posted by Stephen1950
Updated - 24th May 2012
0 Votes
+ -
ev batterys range
why not just add solar panels. in the us they have a 4 mm pliable solar cell for the roof of your house that charges solar battery's.if they can charge A 144v system for a house why not on a car . the house panel is 30" wide and about 15' long. most cars are 5-6 ' wide and 8 feet long. why not use the hood roof and trunk. or the whole body surface area, and have a multi power cell system. when one battery is low it could switch to the next. the charger attached to the solar cells then activates and over the course of the next 50 or so miles recharges the lithium ion battery pack. most chargers have a shut off switch so they don't over charge the battery. safe and renewing. take that evil oil moguls. this has been my rant for the day thank you for your time.
Posted by John E GarveyIII
29th Feb 2012
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