Comments on: Google Tries Wireless EV Charging from PluglessPower

By: Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging -- Will it Work? - CleanTechnica

Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging -- Will it Work? - CleanTechnica — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:18:21 +0000

[…] from both Rolls-Royce, Delphi, and Infiniti/Nissan that include wireless charging technology. Google, Hertz, and Plugless Power are also testing out wireless charging technology. And researchers in […]

By: Charging Infrastructure News « Small, Task-Oriented Vehicles (STOV)

Charging Infrastructure News « Small, Task-Oriented Vehicles (STOV) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:44:52 +0000

[…] Google Testing Wireless Charging Station – Google is testing wireless EV charging technology developed by Evtran of Virginia. Called Plugless Power, the recharging station will be used to power up one of Google’s NEVs that are used in the company’s vehicle sharing program for employees. The vehicle had to be retrofitted to work with the charger which works on the principle of induction similar to electric transformers except that the transformer is split between the charger and the vehicle. Evtran is looking for additional corporate or municipal NEV fleets to field test their product. Learn more: Cleantechnica.com […]

By: Susan Kraemer

Susan Kraemer — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:48:45 +0000

Tell me, where ARE these “robotic gas pumps that can identify your car type, open the gas filler, insert the nozzle, and replace the gas cap.” I’m always leaving the gas cap behind! (And I hate pouring in stinky gasoline…)

By: Bob Wallace

Bob Wallace — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:38:06 +0000

I’ve seen another picture of these chargers installed in a parking space. In front of the space is a unit which looks like a small gas pump.

Imagine we attached an arm to that ‘pump’, an arm that could more up/down, right/left, in/out and had an electrical connection at its end.

Then when someone pulled into the parking space they would push a ‘Charge’ button on their dash, a small door on the front of the EV would slid open, and the arm would attach its connection to the EV.

Now we would have 100% efficient charging, not loose the 10% of power wasted in inductive charging. We wouldn’t have to carry a set of inductive coils around in our cars. We could probably charge faster.

What I’ve read is that these inductive chargers will cost $3,800. Seems like a simple arm would be cheaper.

(We already have robotic gas pumps that can identify your car type, open the gas filler, insert the nozzle, and replace the gas cap.)