Dynamic inductive charging of electric vehicles

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The electrification of road transport poses major challenges for electricity grids, such as high load peaks that exceed grid capacity and the need for intermediate storage for charging with renewable energy from photovoltaics at night. This project proposes a radical solution consisting of dynamic inductive charging (i.e. charging while driving). The benefits include a smoother demand curve, less night-time charging, extended operating times and smaller batteries for electric vehicles. The decarbonisation of road transport is being largely driven by electrification. However, a highly electrified vehicle fleet poses a major challenge for electricity grids. On the one hand, fast charging at peak times leads to high load peaks that exceed the grid capacity and could cause a grid failure. On the other hand, intermediate storage is required for charging with renewable energy from photovoltaics at night. This project proposes a radical solution with dynamic inductive charging (i.e. charging while driving). This approach offers enormous advantages such as the smoothing of the electricity demand curve (peak shaving), the reduction of night-time charging, the extension of operating times (particularly relevant for buses and lorries) and the possibility of significantly reducing the often oversized batteries of current electric vehicles. As a first step, this solution is particularly suitable for vehicles that always travel the same routes (e.g. city buses, areal/port transport or cargo sous-terrains).The company Electreon is developing a system for dynamic inductive charging of electric vehicles. Their wireless electric road consists of copper coils that are laid under the road surface and covered with asphalt. The management system transmits the energy from the power grid to the coil segments integrated in the road surface and the vehicle receiver receives the wireless energy and transmits it to the vehicle battery. Various demonstration projects are currently underway around the world (in France, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Germany, Israel, China and the USA), but the results are not (yet) available to the public.The aim of this Innobooster project is to lay the foundation for the realisation of the first demonstration project with dynamic inductive charging in Switzerland (e.g. at the Innovation Park in Dübendorf). A consortium of partners from research and industry is being formed for this purpose. The partners currently interested include Cablex AG (initiator), Empa (research in the fields of vehicle technology and asphalt), Electreon (technology provider) and Cargo Sous Terrain (potential user). In addition, a preliminary study will clarify what results are available from previous/ongoing projects with this technology and what open research and economic issues are to be addressed with the demonstrator in Switzerland. A concept for a demonstrator will also be developed for this purpose (infrastructure, costs, location, authorisations, etc.).The New Mobility Innobooster programme offers the ideal environment to form the project consortium and finance this preliminary study. If the results of the preliminary study are convincing, they will serve as the basis for an Innosuisse application to co-finance the demonstrator and the associated research activities.

Project Idea Metadata

• Project Idea Name: Dynamic inductive charging of electric vehicles
• Date: 4/3/2024 6:51:47 AM
• Administrators:

Project Idea Description

The decarbonisation of road transport is being largely driven by electrification. However, a highly electrified vehicle fleet poses a major challenge for electricity grids. On the one hand, fast charging at peak times leads to high load peaks that exceed the grid capacity and could cause a grid failure. On the other hand, intermediate storage is required for charging with renewable energy from photovoltaics at night. This project proposes a radical solution with dynamic inductive charging (i.e. charging while driving). This approach offers enormous advantages such as the smoothing of the electricity demand curve (peak shaving), the reduction of night-time charging, the extension of operating times (particularly relevant for buses and lorries) and the possibility of significantly reducing the often oversized batteries of current electric vehicles. As a first step, this solution is particularly suitable for vehicles that always travel the same routes (e.g. city buses, areal/port transport or cargo sous-terrains).

The company Electreon is developing a system for dynamic inductive charging of electric vehicles. Their wireless electric road consists of copper coils that are laid under the road surface and covered with asphalt. The management system transmits the energy from the power grid to the coil segments integrated in the road surface and the vehicle receiver receives the wireless energy and transmits it to the vehicle battery. Various demonstration projects are currently underway around the world (in France, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Germany, Israel, China and the USA), but the results are not (yet) available to the public.

The aim of this Innobooster project is to lay the foundation for the realisation of the first demonstration project with dynamic inductive charging in Switzerland (e.g. at the Innovation Park in Dübendorf). A consortium of partners from research and industry is being formed for this purpose. The partners currently interested include Cablex AG (initiator), Empa (research in the fields of vehicle technology and asphalt), Electreon (technology provider) and Cargo Sous Terrain (potential user). In addition, a preliminary study will clarify what results are available from previous/ongoing projects with this technology and what open research and economic issues are to be addressed with the demonstrator in Switzerland. A concept for a demonstrator will also be developed for this purpose (infrastructure, costs, location, authorisations, etc.).

The New Mobility Innobooster programme offers the ideal environment to form the project consortium and finance this preliminary study. If the results of the preliminary study are convincing, they will serve as the basis for an Innosuisse application to co-finance the demonstrator and the associated research activities.

The electrification of road transport poses major challenges for electricity grids, such as high load peaks that exceed grid capacity and the need for intermediate storage for charging with renewable energy from photovoltaics at night. This project proposes a radical solution consisting of dynamic inductive charging (i.e. charging while driving). The benefits include a smoother demand curve, less night-time charging, extended operating times and smaller batteries for electric vehicles.