Inductive Charging of Electric Vehicles

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The aim is to assess the potential of inductive charging to support the decarbonization of the Swiss road transport system by:1) Creating a consortium with technology suppliers and other stakeholders interested in inductive charging2) Evaluating the possible installation and operation of a static inductive charging station in the "move" demonstrator at Empa3) Development of related research questions: changes in charging efficiency with distance between coils, vehicle positioning, weather... The rollout of charging infrastructure is crucial for the large-scale introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) and the decarbonization of the Swiss road traffic. Inductive charging of EVs involves magnetically coupling a primary coil installed in the ground and a secondary coil integrated in the vehicle's underbody to charge the vehicle's battery either when the vehicle is at a standstill (static inductive charging) or while driving (dynamic inductive charging). In principle, inductive charging of EVs can achieve similar efficiencies to conductive charging while offering several advantages, such as higher operating comfort, or the possibility to be fully integrated into the road, leading to potentially better protection against external influences and mechanical wear. The possibility to automate the charging process is an important technology enabler, as it increases the ease of use and thus the acceptance of EVs and provides a simple charging solution for autonomous vehicles (e.g. in so-called valet parking applications). In the future, the possibility of dynamic charging during driving would allow the use of smaller and lighter batteries. Most EVs today are equipped with very oversized batteries just to be able to cover long distances a few times a year, e.g. on vacation trips. Since such long journeys usually involve lots of driving on highways, the provision of a dynamic charging infrastructure, e.g. on major highways, could reverse the trend towards smaller batteries. In addition, dynamic charging can in principle improve the battery lifetime, as frequent shallow charging is likely to be advantageous over stationary deep-cycling. In order to assess the potential of inductive charging to support the decarbonization/electrification of the Swiss road transport system within this project we aim to:1) Form of a consortia with an energy supplier, an inductive charging system manufacturer and vehicle operators with interests on inductive charging.2) Analyse the possibility to install and operate a static inductive charging station at the "move" demonstrator at Empa (in collaboration with the above mentioned consortia) 3) Develop related research questions that could be investigated in such a set-up (e.g. changes in charging efficiency with distance between coils, positioning of the vehicle, external factors such as weather or contamination…).

Project Idea Metadata

Project Idea Name: Inductive Charging of Electric Vehicles
Date: 2/23/2023 7:14:08 AM
Administrators:

Project Idea Description

The rollout of charging infrastructure is crucial for the large-scale introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) and the decarbonization of the Swiss road traffic. Inductive charging of EVs involves magnetically coupling a primary coil installed in the ground and a secondary coil integrated in the vehicle's underbody to charge the vehicle's battery either when the vehicle is at a standstill (static inductive charging) or while driving (dynamic inductive charging). In principle, inductive charging of EVs can achieve similar efficiencies to conductive charging while offering several advantages, such as higher operating comfort, or the possibility to be fully integrated into the road, leading to potentially better protection against external influences and mechanical wear. The possibility to automate the charging process is an important technology enabler, as it increases the ease of use and thus the acceptance of EVs and provides a simple charging solution for autonomous vehicles (e.g. in so-called valet parking applications). In the future, the possibility of dynamic charging during driving would allow the use of smaller and lighter batteries. Most EVs today are equipped with very oversized batteries just to be able to cover long distances a few times a year, e.g. on vacation trips. Since such long journeys usually involve lots of driving on highways, the provision of a dynamic charging infrastructure, e.g. on major highways, could reverse the trend towards smaller batteries. In addition, dynamic charging can in principle improve the battery lifetime, as frequent shallow charging is likely to be advantageous over stationary deep-cycling.

In order to assess the potential of inductive charging to support the decarbonization/electrification of the Swiss road transport system within this project we aim to:

1) Form of a consortia with an energy supplier, an inductive charging system manufacturer and vehicle operators with interests on inductive charging.

2) Analyse the possibility to install and operate a static inductive charging station at the "move" demonstrator at Empa (in collaboration with the above mentioned consortia)

3) Develop related research questions that could be investigated in such a set-up (e.g. changes in charging efficiency with distance between coils, positioning of the vehicle, external factors such as weather or contamination…).

The aim is to assess the potential of inductive charging to support the decarbonization of the Swiss road transport system by:

1) Creating a consortium with technology suppliers and other stakeholders interested in inductive charging

2) Evaluating the possible installation and operation of a static inductive charging station in the "move" demonstrator at Empa

3) Development of related research questions: changes in charging efficiency with distance between coils, vehicle positioning, weather...