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Imagine your\u00a0ad<\/span>\u00a0placed here<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n When the vehicle is stopped so the two coils are roughly aligned, electricity fed to the bottom one generates an electromagnetic field in the air above, which the upper coil absorbs. This alternating current is converted by a rectifier into direct current that charges the vehicle\u2019s battery. <\/span><\/p>\n Inventors have been able to move electrical power across air gaps since the early 19th century. But only in recent years has inductive power transfer, as it is known, become practical for vehicle batteries. It is a result of advances in power electronics\u2014things like insulated-gate bipolar transistors, a type of semiconductor switch that greatly boosts a current\u2019s voltage and frequency. <\/span><\/p>\n But charging wirelessly is no more electrically efficient than using a cord. With the former, <\/em><\/strong>some power is lost to the air gap; with the latter, power is lost to a transformer needed to prevent surges. So why are manufacturers investing in the new technology?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n F<\/span>or starters, they believe that the elimination of charging cords (which are sometimes stolen for their copper) and the tower consoles to which they are attached (which are sometimes smashed by careless drivers) will lead to the establishment of more charging stations. EV drivers will welcome, it is thought, the ability to top up by using a smartphone to locate, reserve and rent charging pads while parked for a quick errand or overnight, without needing to fuss with a cord. <\/span><\/p>\n And the technology could pave the way for fleets of driverless EVs that can be summoned with an app. No fleet operator will want to pay for robots or employees to plug cords into autonomous taxis. Perhaps most importantly, cutting the cord allows EVs to charge on the move.<\/span><\/p>\n Follow us on TWITTER for more Logistics News<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Follow us on FACEBOOK for more Logistics News<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n At three sites in South Korea, <\/span>trams and buses charge as they drive over a series of embedded coils that are sequentially flooded with pulses of electricity as a vehicle passes overhead.<\/span><\/p>\n
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