UBC invented low-frequency, safe wireless charging technology for EVs

2012-11-03 itersnews

(iTers News) – University of British Columbia research team added one more wireless charging technology to a growing list of competing wireless charger technologies that are vying for a next generation of de facto standard for electric vehicles and mobile phones.

Using two remote magnetic gears, the technology was tested and proven energy efficient and, more importantly, safe to human bodies, the UBC research team said.

Led by UBC professor Whitehead, the research team came out with a completely different method that pairs two remote magnetic gears wirelessly at a low frequency, steering clear of the need for the use of radio wave.

The working theory is straightforward.

When a car pulls in a parking lot, an outside rotating magnetic gear installed, which is charged by the grid, powers up an in-vehicle gear. The in-car gear turn, generates power to charge the battery.

“Wireless charging has been a much sought-after technical solution for everything from cell phones to electric cars,” says Whitehead, a physics professor.

“A significant concern for charging cars wirelessly has been the high power and high frequency electromagnetic fields and their unknown, potential health effects on humans, ” added he.

UBC has installed four wireless charging stations at its parking lot and has service vehicles retrofitted with the new technology. Tests show the system is more than 90% efficient, compared to a cable charge. A full charge takes four hours and enables the vehicle to run throughout an eight-hour shift.

The team originally plans to put the magnetically driven charging system to use in medical devices such as an implanted pacemaker. A patent for the technology has been filed through the University Industry Liaison Office. The technology can be used with a mobile phone.