EV INFRASTRUCTURE
public parking fees do not apply for EVs and
there is plenty of free charging. Ultimately, the
use of extensive low emission zones in large
urban centers have made EVs the best option
for most drivers.
“This method is obviously successful, but
with a population of just 5.25 million, the
losses seen to the treasury are not necessarily
viable for larger countries. Although Norway is
a prime example that charging capacity has a
market incentive to keep up with the number
of EVs on the road once adoption takes off .
“The Netherlands, while having a larger
population, is also fairy small geographically.
They do, however, have one of the highest
densities of chargers in Europe. They have
relied heavily on public-private initiatives,
known as the Green-Deal approach. This has
allowed the government to help facilitate
private projects by removing legislative barriers
and through connecting innovators together,
with funding and know how. This approach
has been twinned with similar legislative
changes and incentive programs as in Norway
and the UK.
“Both Norway and the Netherlands have
applied a good mix of fi nancial incentives and
removing barriers of non-fi nancial nature such
as easy application procedures for installation,
special lanes for EVs, and incentivising
ridesharing, for example.”
Infrastructure
Range and cost remain a disincentive
to early or even medium-term
adoption, which could result in a
www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com // January 2020 // 69
CHARGING WITHOUT CABLES
Wireless charging of PEVs is another solution.
Inductive charging is an increasingly viable
alternative to forecourt charge-points, especially for
mass transit and in within contained urban areas.
Moreover, systems can be extended to domestic
vehicles and trucks on the road. For example, a
company called Electreon is creating pay-as-you-go
‘electric’ roads.
Noam Ilan, VP business development, Electreon,
explains: “The company is using DWPT dynamic
wireless power transfer technology - inductive
transmission via electromagnetic fields from
the roadbed. The technology enables a shared
infrastructure that significantly reduced the need
to charge vehicle’s battery during day/overnight
and decreases the size of the battery, it can support
any type of EV – buses, trucks, passengers – and is
especially suitable for autonomous EVs.
“Electric Road technology is based on the concept
of a high frequency air core transformer. The
initial component of the air core transformer is an
inductive stripe installed about 8-10cm beneath the
asphalt. The secondary component is called the
receiver and is connected to the vehicle’s engine
and battery within an air gap of about 27cm.
“The unique stripe is optimally shaped to improve
efficiency and reduce radiation. The copper-only
stripe reduces cost and the need for maintenance
and increases reliability. The stripe is passive and
comprises 1m segments. When a vehicle rides over
a given segment, only the segment located directly
under it is activated and transmits energy to the
receiver thus saving energy and increasing safety.”
The two main go-to-market segments are buses
in the urban environment and trucks. It is almost
impossible to electrify heavy trucks because the
battery must be huge. A Tel Aviv demonstration
is aimed at showcasing the former, and the next
step will be to electrify the entire bus fleet of the
city in collaboration with Dan, the city’s leading
bus operator. Another demonstration in Sweden is
financed by the Swedish government as part of their
road map to for electric roads for heavy trucks.
Coventry City Council in the UK is also intending to
install a testbed and is currently exploring funding
for the project. The council says the technology has
the potential to address concerns and barriers to
the uptake of electric vehicles by making it easier
and quicker to charge EVs on the move or while
parked up without the need to plug in cables, or to
access roadside charging points: “The system also
requires less obtrusive street furniture, avoiding
clutter or obstructions on pavements, which can be
particularly important on narrow streets such as
those in many areas of Coventry.”
1. Chargers are actually
growing at 15-20% ahead
of the market for EVs,
according to ChargePoint
2. Electreon is currently
testing pay-as-you-go
inductive charging
technology on roads
3. Fast charging is
essential for EV uptake,
and the number of DC
rapid chargers
is set to grow in
the near future
2
3
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