Electric Vehicle - Audi Introduce Electric Vehicle Wireless Charging @ Frankfurt

Another brand is exploring wireless power transfer to charge up their electric vehicle. After Rolls Royce's partnering with Halo IPT, also Audi understands the potential of this technology.

With special <a href="http://www. inductrophy.com">races</a> being organized (by for example Hotroad ) and also taxi and bus applications being promoted by numerous parties, we might have our future highways a lot sooner than many dare dream.

Audi Introduce Electric Vehicle Wireless Charging @ Frankfurt
http://electric-vehicles-cars-bikes.blogspot.com/2011/09/audi-introduce-wireless-charging.html

The charging process begins automatically when the EV drives onto the plate. The alternating magnetic field of the infrastructure side induces an alternating current across the air gap in the secondary coil, which is integrated into the vehicle. This current is rectified and fed into the vehicle’s electrical system, where it charges the battery or powers consumers such as the heater. The alternating field is only generated if the vehicle is standing over the plate and thus poses no danger to people or animals.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - Battery technology: Highly charged

A nice promising breakthrough in the electric vehicle batteries, where the rate at which a battery can be recharged is greatly improved. From 0-90% in 2 minutes seems within reach at an increased cost of 20-30% of the battery.

The technology increases the area of the battery that is used in the (electro)chemical reactions, thus allowing a larger amount of electrons and ions to travel. Currently it is only applied on the cathode. Dr. Braun is currently looking into applying it to the anode of the battery as well, so expect another improvement there.

Great stuff!

A Nissan Leaf battery, charged to 90% in 2 minutes? It might be just around the corner...

Battery technology: Highly charged | The Economist
http://www.economist.com/node/18437910

The battery-maker’s dilemma is that the recharging rate depends on the area of contact between electrolyte and electrode. A thin, sandwich-like arrangement, in which cathode, electrolyte and anode are close together, can thus be discharged and recharged rapidly. However, this speed comes at a price. The amount of energy a battery can store depends on the volume of its electrodes, so a thin battery does not last long. What is needed is a way to increase contact area without sacrificing volume. And that is what Dr Braun has found. Moreover, his solution looks suitable for mass production.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - Automated Highway Driving

While this technology is not limited to an electric vehicle, there are some added benefits if it would be applied on EVs. ( detailed <a href="http://www.myhev.com/electric-vehicle/electric-vehicles-the-gadgets-on-your-next-car">here</a> )

Some nice progress from BMW as well in this area, where in highway conditions the autonomous car can overtake slower vehicles and give way to vehicles looking to merge in on the highway. A nice road ahead with developments still, keep an eye out for these guys.

BMW: Automated Highway Driving
http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/08/30/bmw-automated-highway-driving/

“This is an entirely new situation and experience for the driver – it is a strange feeling handing over complete control of the car to an autonomous system. But after a few minutes of experiencing the smooth, sovereign and safe driving style, drivers and passengers begin to relax somewhat and  trust the independent system,” says Nico Kämpchen, Project Manager for Highly Automated Driving at BMW Group Research and Technology.“ Nevertheless, the driver is still responsible for the situation at all times and must constantly keep an eye on traffic and the surroundings.”

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - Rice University develops Solid State Supercaps

A nice breakthrough in super capacitors brings this technology another step closer to making it into our next electric vehicle. Supercaps are great at supplying a lot of power in short bursts, but lack the ability to supply power for longer durations. Research aims to either get batteries with higher possible (dis)charge rated, but also on supercaps with a higher energy density so they can hold more charge for a longer period. The future battery, or energy storage may be a hybrid in itself, combining battery and supercap properties alike.

Rice University team develops new solid-state supercapacitors with high energy and power densities
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2011/08/rice-20110823.html

“All solid-state solutions to energy storage will be intimately integrated into many future devices, including flexible displays, bio-implants, many types of sensors and all electronic applications that benefit from fast charge and discharge rates.” —Dr. Robert Hauge

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - How an Electric Motorcycle Made Record Time

News from the world of the two-wheeled electric vehicle, there's a new record set on the track and it just blew the competition away. What a bit of tuning in the software can lead to becomes clear in this story, but also people becoming more and more aware of the technology.

Q&A: How an Electric Motorcycle Made Record Time
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/08/record-lap-time-proves-electric-motorcycles-are-for-real/

There’s nothing coming up right now and I’m bummed because I wanna ride the bike because it’s such a fun bike to ride. I like using analogies to compare things, but I can’t because there’s just nothing really like it out there. It’s not the novelty or the newness of it, it’s just how easy it is to ride and the way the power comes on. There’s no shifting with your feet or hands and you have a lot of time just to worry about riding the bike. You’re not worrying about the gearing and all the other things that go with gas bikes.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - 32.1 million electrified vehicles in 2025

The numbers of the electric vehicle on the roads are slowly increasing. Currently there are about 1600+ Tesla Roadsters on the roads, globally. In the Netherlands there are 109 Nissan Leafs driving around. Today I came across this report predicting 32 million electrified vehicles, global. That includes hybrids as well. 

Obviously such numbers are not the goal in itself, but do provide insight in how positive the providers of these predictions are of EV (and hybrid) success.

Worldwide sales of electrified vehicles to hit 32.1 million in 2025
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/08/05/worldwide-sales-of-electrified-vehicles-to-hit-32-1-million-in-2/

Fuji Keizai breaks down its 32.1-million unit figure like this:
- Standard hybrid vehicles: 13.86 million
- Plug-in hybrids: 11.48 million
- Pure electric vehicles: 5.75 million
- Fuel cell vehicles: 1 million

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicles - Renault concerned about silent electric F1 cars in the pit lane

The F1 is adopting a lot of typical electric vehicle technologies, or is it the other way around? Under discussion at the moment is to have F1 cars drive fully electric in the pit lane, but Renault sees a small problem: the lack of sound.

in similar discussions, not related to F1, but to normal electric vehicles, the general solution is to add sound to the car when it is in "EV-mode"; easy enough, also for an F1 car.

Renault concerned about silent electric F1 cars in the pit lane
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/07/26/renault-concerned-about-silent-electric-f1-cars-in-the-pit-lane/

the pit lane is the only spot on the track where people and cars meet – often in very close proximity – with mechanics out in the open and team strategists running between their team’s garage to the pit wall

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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