Review and Study of Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer Technology for In-road Charging of Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles offer tremendous opportunity to reduce emissions and save fuel and maintenance costs. However, significant challenges, centered around range and supporting charging infrastructure, remain in the pursuit of widespread adoption of electric vehicles. The emerging inductive Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer (DWPT) technology offers a promising solution to address these challenges. By charging electric vehicles in road using inductive DWPT devices, power can be brought to the vehicles where they drive. This will lead to smaller and longer-lasting batteries on vehicles, making electric vehicles less expensive to purchase and operate than their fossil fuel counterparts. In-road charging using inductive DWPT will also enable unlimited electric vehicle range and a seamless charging experience for drivers of electric vehicles. These improvements will help accelerate widespread adoption of electric vehicles. In the past few years, multiple in-road charging pilot projects have been completed or launched in the United States. For example, the nation’s first inductive wireless charging road was opened in Detroit, Michigan in November 2023, which spans a quarter mile on 14th Street, between Marantette and Dalzelle streets. The road is equipped with inductive DWPT devices that can charge electric vehicles as they drive on the road. Another pilot project was launched on U.S. Highway 52 in Indiana this year, which aims at testing wireless charging for electric vehicles, particularly heavy-duty electric trucks, traveling at highway speeds. These early projects provide useful information for the planning, design, and implementation of the pilot in-road charging system to be installed in the I-80 6-line, Seward to Pleasant Dale project. However, the adoption of in-road charging infrastructure using the inductive DWPT technology is still in very early stages. Many questions and issues remain in the pursuit of widespread adoption of the DWPT technology for in-road charging of electric vehicles.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Programmed
• Funding: $79,954.00
• Sponsor Organizations:

  Nebraska Department of Transportation

  1500 Nebraska 2
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68502
• Project Managers:

  Halsey, Lieska

• Principal Investigators:

  Qu, Liyan

  Qiao, Wei

• Start Date: 20250701
• Expected Completion Date: 20270531
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Electric roadways; Electric vehicle charging; Magnetic induction; Wireless charging
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Pavements; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01945357
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Nebraska Department of Transportation
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Feb 10 2025 2:08PM