Right now, everyone who is planning to build electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids pretty much agrees on the fact that the best way to charge them is to plug some kind of cord into the side of the car, the same way we do for cell phones, laptops and mp3 players.
Everyone, that is, except for Nissan. Nissan wants to follow the route of the electric toothbrush – that is, invent a way for us to charge EVs (or their EVs, at least), using a wireless charger. Electric toothbrush batteries are refueled by inducing a charge without actually making contact between battery and electricity source. So, too, Nissan hopes that one day we can park electric cars over a scaled-up version of the same charger, and refuel them without lifting a finger.
However, there’s a reason that we only use induction chargers for the occasional piece of technology such as the toothbrush, and don’t use them for most mobile electronic devices (ok, with the exception of the Palm Pre): they take longer to charge, and they are more expensive and complex than a simple wire plug.
Obviously, though, Nissan’s engineers know all that. And Nissan is certainly going to be sticking to conventional plugs for now – they are unveiling their 2012 model EV on August 2, and although they claim that it was designed to be compatible with future induction technology, it will be charged by a regular plug. And Nissan’s partner Renault is busy designing cars to work with Better Place’s system, which most certainly involves a physical cord.
Rather, Nissan is attempting to look into the future. Think of it this way – if you told an AOL user in 1995 that the technology existed to access the internet through a cell phone, it would have likely seemed farfetched and overly expensive. Flash forward to today – it’s still true that the best and fastest internet connections are still tied to PCs, but mobile internet has found its place for people who need to check their email anywhere, and are willing to pay extra for it. Maybe a light, albeit inefficient-and-more-expensive charge for your EV will find a similar place.
In fact, Nissan’s vision goes beyond just parking spots. Nissan sees an even wider system of wireless charging, built into the very roads that we drive on (similar to this Toyota concept), so that we can refuel as we drive. Sound farfetched and inefficient? Perhaps, but what if you got stuck in a traffic jam, and your battery began to dwindle? Would you pay a little extra to be able to charge on the go in those situations?
On a related note, here’s an interesting article about charging batteries from Electropaedia.
Via ABG, Earth2Tech
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Comments (8)
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written by Carl Hage, July 22, 2009
Yeah, it does sound farfetched. There is a simpler (cheaper) solution-- just put a wire overhead like streetcars and trains. The car can have a pantograph like a bumper car. This too is farfetched. Batteries make more sense than putting wireless or wired chargers along highways.
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written by Brendan, July 22, 2009
It doesn't sound far fetched to me at all - in fact, it sounds like a wonderful idea for the "wireless" world we live in today.
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written by Edward, July 22, 2009
This is not new. The GM EV1 had inductive charging. C'mon, how lazy can people be that they can't plug their cars in overnight (assuming they have a garage)? The only areas this might make sense is in public parking garages or multi-unit dwellings where vandalism might be a concern.
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written by James Deale, July 23, 2009
Isn't it more wasteful using a transformer compared to a wire?
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written by Edward, July 23, 2009
I actually foresee the day when AAA trucks have a giant ultracapacitor on them for "jump starts" of electric cars where the drivers forgot to charge them and get stranded by the side of the road. 
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written by douglas puckett, July 23, 2009
i made a battery that recharges itself and the 52 pound battery i call bluewall because i use water so there is no battery fumes. this will electrify your car for as far as you want to drive and you never recharge it the bluewall battery will do it itself by use of magnets and water this has a electric holding supply with staters and this is just as powerfull as14 batteries it woks on homes also. i use it and this is safe and over haft price as an electric car battery cost today , because the battery was the biggest cost of a all electric car but i own it and build it no company has this or anyother person this is new and this will be the future battery , ijust put over 10023000 miles on this one bluewall battery and i never recharged it i let it do it by itself and it recharges in any enviroment and weather condition i drive more at night than i do in the day so the tech. is allready done i am just trying to find the right company to help me put oo the market for everybody to have. run your house on it to this will help in saving money this works i will prove it to any company . this will allow everybody able to afford an all electric car with no gas or polution to deal with
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