Nissan working on wireless charging system for electric-cars

According to a report by UK’s Guardian newspaper, Nissan is working on a wireless charging technology that will allow the process of charging electric-cars to become faster and easier without the hassle of plugging in. The system is based on the concept of inductive charging, the same electromagnetic field technology used to charge an electric toothbrush. Guardian says that Nissan has scaled it up for use in their Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) electric car.

The system will allow electric-cars to charge in a compatible parking bay without the need for wires. Furthermore, Nissan hopes to lay down a series of plates into the surface of designated electric-vehicle driving lanes, allowing...
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fatandsassy - 7/22/2009 1:17:13 PM

-1 Boost

That sounds like a great cost saver. New roads with induction plates built in . I bet that will be cheap to build... :( Sorry for the sarcasim

thstone - 7/22/2009 5:48:29 PM

-1 Boost

With people worrying about 2-3 watts of electo-magnetic radiation coming from their cell phone causing brain cancer, do you really think anyone is going to want a 12,000 watt electro-magnet radiating in their garage? (240 Volts x 50 amps = 12,000 watts).

And don't forget, at a typical 50% efficiency rate, 6,000 of those watts are being wasted.

thstone - 7/22/2009 6:12:19 PM

+2 Boost

Might as well remind everyone about the GM EV-1 charger, Magne Charge, which used an inductive charge paddle that was inserted into a slot above the front bumper adn powered by a gas pump sized 220V "charge station". Not quite "wireless" but this was 1996 so we'll cut them some slack.

thstone - 7/23/2009 5:26:15 PM

+1 Boost

Sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but you have to face the fact that the state of the art for inductive charging for everyday consumer use is an electric toothbrush. Scaling that to charging a 16kW electric battery pack in a car will require a 100x leap in the technology. I'm not saying that it can't be done, but its not right around the corner.