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Tesla Would Be Proud: Wireless Charging For Electric Cars Gets Closer To Reality

Posted by timothy on from the get-amped dept.

curtwoodward writes "For some reason, we're still plugging in electric-powered devices like a bunch of savages. But technology developed at MIT could soon make that a thing of the past, at least for hybrid cars. A small Boston-area company, WiTricity, is a key part of Toyota's growing experiment with wireless charging tech---something the world's largest car maker says it will start seriously testing in the U.S., Japan and Europe next year. The system works by converting AC to a higher frequency and voltage and sending it to a receiver that resonates at the same frequency, making it possible to transfer the power safely via magnetic field. Intel and Foxconn are also investors, and you might see them license the tech soon as well."

13 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. Efficient? by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Whether or not it catches on will depend mostly on efficiency. If the losses are minimal, it makes sense to eliminate mechanical connections.

    1. Re:Efficient? by Z_A_Commando · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Whether or not it catches on will depend mostly on efficiency. If the losses are minimal, it makes sense to eliminate mechanical connections.

      Efficiency will definitely play a part, but I think more important will be Convenience, Cost, and Coverage.

      When you get an electric car, you need to plug it in every time you get home so that the charge is topped off and you never leave with a near empty battery. If all you have to do is drive over a special mat or the technology is embedded in the floor/pavement/whatever then that will be infinitely more convenient because it doesn't add any extra steps when you park your car.

      If the mats cost a fortune to install or require significant upgrades to a home's existing infrastructure (a la a 220V system) they'll be less likely to be deployed. If they're sold separate from the car purchase, that could cause another issue.

      Finally, if there are a bunch of competing standards or the technology doesn't catch on very widely the coverage for installations in semi-public areas like parking lots would likely never happen, leaving a large amount of city dwellers unable to get on the bandwagon.

    2. Re:Efficient? by jellomizer · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There is a lot to say about convenience over efficiency. Now if the price to charge per mile is still less then gasoline then it will probably still work. If we could get off the grid for a lot of this stuff with say Solar Power Stations setup at stores parking and offer it for free it will be a big hit, even if it means you can add a few miles when you are parked for a half an hour.

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    3. Re:Efficient? by internerdj · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Just don't plug it in at your kid's tennis match.

    4. Re:Efficient? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Considering the price of energy and the whole economic crisis, a lot of people would probably rather plug in manually if the losses are any more than a couple of percent. Even 1% would probably put a lot of people off if they were aware of it.

      Millions of people still insist on using incandescent light bulbs. Do you think the majority would give a damn about 1%?

    5. Re:Efficient? by cyberchondriac · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Considering that some people will drive an extra 3 miles to go to a gas station that's just 4 cents cheaper per gallon, yeah, a lot of people probably would.

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    6. Re:Efficient? by timeOday · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Even if it isn't terribly efficient, it could still mean that your car could charge almost anywhere you park it

      Why park? If our freeways could power electric cars wirelessly, you could drive forever without stopping to recharge. Line the freeway median with solar panels, and the loss of wireless transmission is offset by minimizing losses through power lines and battery storage.

  2. I would like to turn my nerd card in by oodaloop · · Score: 4, Funny

    When I read Tesla in the title, my first thought was the car manufacturer. It wasn't until a few minutes later I realized it was referring to the inventor. If someone would kindly give me the proper address, I will hand in my nerd card. I'm sorry, everyone.

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    1. Re:I would like to turn my nerd card in by goombah99 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Moreover, none of the nerds here have noticed yet that Tesla would not be proud of this. He was trying to do wireless power across nations and oceans not inductive coupling at short range. Magnetic coupling falls off at very short range compared to propagating waves.

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    2. Re:I would like to turn my nerd card in by geekoid · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I have written several papers through out my life about Tesla. The fact that everyone goes on and on about the stuff Tesla didn't invent and has no clue about the work he actually did is annoying as hell.

      The Oatmeal ruined pretty much everything about Tesla.

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    3. Re:I would like to turn my nerd card in by NatasRevol · · Score: 3, Interesting

      So what exactly did the oatmeal get wrong?

      http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla

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    4. Re:I would like to turn my nerd card in by TWiTfan · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The problem with Tesla is that so much of his work has been mythologized that a lot of people have come to sort of dismiss it out of hand. It seems like every biographical portrayal of him in popular culture has to make him off as some sort of mystical magician, nutcase, or miracle worker. I remember an "In Search Of" episode when I was a kid that claimed he had built Stonehenge, developed a teleporter, and communicated with aliens. And don't get me started on his portrayal in The Prestige.

      I was well into my adulthood before I realized that he was an actual engineer who built real stuff, and not just some conspiracy theorist's concoction. As a kid, he went into the same category to me as Uri Geller and the aliens who built the pyramids.

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  3. Old news for buses by wren337 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Italy has been using this for buses since 2003.
    http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/08/induction-charged-buses/