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Self charging cars will be future of next low carbon models
publication date: Oct 16, 2010
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author/source: Robin Roberts
Cars which charge themselves when parked without any hard wire connection by the driver are being considered for the next generation of vehicles. The concept of electromagnetic induction which uses an fixed embedded power supply to wirelessly recharge a vehicle was shown at the CEATEC home-electronics show in Japan. Several companies unveiled state-of-the-art cordless recharging systems at the CEATEC home-electronics show in Makuhari Messe, Chiba Prefecture, tantalizing visitors with images of more convenient charging systems for mobile phones and electric vehicles. NTT Docomo unveiled a recharging system for its phones where one need only place their phone on a recharging plate, where it is recharged wirelessly. The phone can be placed anywhere on the plate, without having to line it up with any particular spot. Similar technology is being considered for electric-vehicle recharging systems, which are considered one of the major obstacles that must be conquered before electric vehicles can become more widely used. Pioneer had on display an under-development recharging facility that involves having electric coils installed in both a parking space and in the bottom part of a car. However, at the moment, the coils of the parking space and the car have to be 10 centimeters or closer to one another, so a way to adjust the system to the different heights of various cars still needs to be developed. The cost of equipping vehicles and parking spaces is another problem. Nissan Motor Co. had on display a miniature robot-car named "Eporo," which ran around an object representing a solar-panel equipped artificial-tree that, in Nissan's vision of an electric-vehicle near-future, would wirelessly collect energy and store it in a nearby recharging area. A robot-car, represented by Eporo, could automatically drive to a recharging area if it ran low on power. Nissan had a diorama-model of its futuristic city nearby, where tiny cars moved around and parked in recharging spaces, a light coming on to signal they were recharging. In 2008, Nissan Motor Co. unveiled an experimental electric vehicle equipped with a wireless recharging system, and research is continuing to make vehicles capable of recharging while on the move. Such technology might involve continuous data transmission between the car and the recharging grid, which would allow it to tie into a state-of-the-art Intelligent Transport System that would enable real-time monitoring and support for improving fuel-efficiency or avoiding car trouble and traffic jams. |
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