HaloIPT and Drayson to Bring 'Wireless Charging' to Electric Motorsport

HaloIPT today announces a new strategic partnership with Drayson Racing Technologies, the green R&D racing organisation founded by Lord Drayson, former UK Minister for Science and Innovation. The partnership will use HaloIPT's unique wireless charging technology to power high-performance cars as they race around the track.

The partnership with Drayson Racing, which develops and races green motorsport technology, including electric vehicles, aims to pioneer the deployment of dynamic (in-motion) charging of zero emission electric vehicles. The racing cars, fitted with HaloIPT technology, will pick up power wirelessly from transmitters buried under the surface of the road or race track; transferring power directly to the vehicle's electric battery, ensuring that the vehicle receives constant charging on the move.

This innovation is made possible because HaloIPT's tried and tested technology provides a significant tolerance to misalignment over the transmitter pads, automatically adjusting for changing vertical gap. The system has the ability to intelligently distribute power: ensuring a consistent delivery of power at speed.

HaloIPT and Drayson Racing will work together on the development of electric drive-train packages and trackside-charging systems to replace the internal combustion engine and fuel pit stops.

Lord Paul Drayson, co-founder of Drayson Racing said: "Dynamic wireless charging will be a real game-changer, enabling zero emission electric vehicles to race over long periods without the need for heavy batteries. This is a milestone innovation that will have a dramatic effect not just on racing but on the mainstream auto industry. We're looking forward to putting this technology through its paces as it charges electric race cars at speeds of up to 200 mph."

Dr Anthony Thomson, CEO of HaloIPT, said: "HaloIPT's technology has a proven heritage in dynamic charging and we are excited to be transferring this expertise to the electric vehicle market. The deal with Drayson Racing demonstrates the appetite for technology that makes driving an electric car more convenient, and this is certainly the case in the motorsport sector - nothing could be more convenient than a race car that re-fuels itself on the track."

Toyota and WiTricity Form Wireless Battery-charging Alliance

Toyota has entered into a technological collaboration agreement with Massachusetts, United States based WiTricity Corporation* concerning the practical application of automotive wireless charging systems and the promotion of their widespread use. TMC plans to participate in a WiTricity capital increase.

WiTricity's charging technology uses resonance, which allows charging without direct contact and is more efficient than electromagnetic-induction, another wireless technology—but one that requires contact—that is starting to come of age in mobile phone and other chargers. TMC believes that resonance wireless charging is suitable for automobiles and aims for its early practical use.

The collaboration is aimed to accelerate development and eventual implementation of wireless charging for automobiles. The charging of a plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle could be as simple and convenient as parking near an embedded charger at a home or in a parking facility.

In the Toyota Global Vision announced in March, TMC expressed its commitment to leading the way to the future of mobility by integrating automobiles, homes and information technology. Wireless charging is just one of the many technologies TMC seeks to develop for the future.

WiTricity

Delphi Showcases Innovative Wireless EV Charging

Delphi Automotive has equipped an electric vehicle with its Delphi Wireless Charging System, a highly efficient wireless energy transfer system featuring technology developed by WiTricity Corporation. Delphi will display the test vehicle at this year's SAE World Congress this week.

"This is a significant advancement in our research and development efforts to offer automotive manufacturers a practical wireless charging solution we believe is superior to others being proposed," said Randy Sumner, director, global hybrid vehicle development, Delphi Packard Electrical/Electronic Architecture. According to Sumner, engineers at Delphi's Customer Technical Center in Champion, Ohio, have installed the Delphi Wireless Charging System on an all-electric THINK City test vehicle, and have confirmed that system performance meets automotive market requirements.

A wireless charging system eliminates the need for a charging cord. Drivers can simply park their electric vehicle over a wireless energy source situated on the garage floor or embedded in a paved parking spot. Other wireless charging systems under development make use of traditional inductive charging, the same technology used in electric toothbrushes, which is based on principles first proposed in the mid-nineteenth century. These systems only work over a limited distance range, require precise accurate parking alignment and can be very large and heavy, making them impractical for widespread use on electric vehicles.

"The Delphi Wireless Charging System offers more practical and flexible installation than traditional inductive systems because it uses highly resonant magnetic coupling, a modern technology that safely and efficiently transfers power over significantly larger distances and can adapt to natural misalignment often associated with vehicle positioning during parking," Sumner said. This means that Delphi charging sources can be buried in pavement, are unaffected by environmental factors such as snow, ice or rain, can accommodate a wide range of vehicle shapes and sizes and their differing ground clearances. The Delphi system is also more forgiving to vehicle parking positions on top of the charger without requiring any moving parts to accommodate. The system transfers energy using an oscillating magnetic field, which is intrinsically safe for humans and animals.

According to Sumner, the system will automatically transfer power to the electric vehicle's battery pack at a rate of 3,300 watts -- the same rate as most residential plug-in chargers -- and is able to do so with the smallest and lightest modules possible. These components are important to minimizing overall vehicle weight and cost while maximizing the driving range of EVs, a critical selling point for automakers.

"We are excited by our testing and validation of the system and believe we have a valuable and unique wireless charging solution that offers the most potential for widespread use in the automotive market. With the support of automotive manufacturers, this technology can be integrated into the next generation of electric vehicles," Sumner said.

Wireless charging technology will need to co-exist with plug-in charging solutions, he added, so that electric vehicle drivers have the ability to charge their vehicle when they are away from their wireless charging source.

Delphi also makes a Portable Electric Vehicle Charger that fits conveniently in the trunk of an electric vehicle. The user-friendly, UL-listed charging system plugs into any standard 120-volt outlet to enable safe electric vehicle battery charging at home or away. The charging unit can also be integrated into stationary charging applications.

Siemens and BMV unveil wireless EV charging station

Siemens and BMW have entered the wireless electric vehicle charging market with their version of inductive technology.

The two firms launched their non-contact charging station at manufacturing fair Hannover Messe last week in advance of a government-funded trial scheme in Berlin planned for June this year.

Inductive charging allows motorists to recharge their electric vehicles’ batteries just by parking their car over the wireless station, making the process quicker and simple, and reducing the changes of wear and tear or damage from vandalism.

Halo IPT, a spin-out from Auckland University, became the first company to launch commercial wireless vehicle technology in November 2011 following more than a decade of trials.

Siemens now intends to test its own 3.6kW charging technology in an electric vehicle to determine what improvements would be needed to integrate the system into series-produced vehicles under real-life conditions.

‘A big obstacle to the expansion of electric mobility is the lack of an extensive and reliable charging infrastructure,’ Siemens said in a statement.

‘Because electric cars have to recharge their batteries more often than vehicles with combustion engines need to refuel, various charging techniques are required that are adapted to the needs of the drivers and vehicles.

‘Siemens’ inductive energy transmission concept would make it possible to automatically recharge vehicles such as taxis waiting at cab stands.’

It added: ‘The associated 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 charging stations are connected to the public grid by an underground primary coil. A secondary coil is attached to the car and when the driver starts the charging process, an electric current begins to flow through the primary coil.

The resulting magnetic field induces an electric current in the secondary coil, which recharges the battery. Electricity is transmitted from the grid through all of the components to the battery at an efficiency of more than 90 per cent.

The magnetic field is generated only in an exactly predetermined area between the two coils, which are typically between 8cm and 15cm apart.

The system therefore generates a magnetic field whose strength in and around the vehicle is far below the internationally recommended limit of 6.25 microteslas.

The system could also enable the car to serve as a storage unit where most of the energy it uses is surplus electricity from solar- and wind-power facilities.