ASPIRE Tests High-Power, High-Efficiency Wireless Charging for Electric Roadways
Outcome/Accomplishment
The NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification (NSF ASPIRE), headquartered at Utah State University, has successfully tested high-power wireless charging technology that provides over 90 percent power efficiency while reducing construction and maintenance costs.
Impact/Benefits
NSF ASPIRE’s electrified roadway research contributes to developing new infrastructure that would make it easier for passenger cars and heavy-duty trucks alike to charge on the go, and not have to worry that their vehicle lacks the range to travel between stationary charging stations.
Explanation/Background
The ASPIRE project team is conducting its pilot project with infrastructure consulting firm AECOM and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). The team uses and refines custom numerical tools to design electrified pavements with three-phase dynamic inductive wireless charging technology that adheres to safety standards for magnetic fields.
The successful tests evaluated the durability and safety of the embedded systems. With the support of INDOT, the pilot project installed an 85-transmitter-coil 230-kW dynamic wireless charging system along a ¼-mile stretch of US-52/US-231. The ASPIRE team developed and integrated a receiver assembly and 200-kW dc-dc converter into a heavy-duty electric truck. With the truck moving at highway speed (60 mph), the 79-90 kHz system at 200 kW output power measured a dc-to-dc efficiency of 91.4%.
The team developed power scaling approaches for MHz-frequency dynamic capacitive wireless charging to reduce costs. The team also engineered several new cementitious composite formulations designed to increase durability and cost-effectiveness.
Location
Logan, Utahwebsite
Start Year
Energy and Sustainability
Energy and Smart Infrastructure
Lead Institution
Core Partners
Fact Sheet
Outcome/Accomplishment
The NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification (NSF ASPIRE), headquartered at Utah State University, has successfully tested high-power wireless charging technology that provides over 90 percent power efficiency while reducing construction and maintenance costs.
Location
Logan, Utahwebsite
Start Year
Energy and Sustainability
Energy and Smart Infrastructure
Lead Institution
Core Partners
Fact Sheet
Impact/benefits
NSF ASPIRE’s electrified roadway research contributes to developing new infrastructure that would make it easier for passenger cars and heavy-duty trucks alike to charge on the go, and not have to worry that their vehicle lacks the range to travel between stationary charging stations.
Explanation/Background
The ASPIRE project team is conducting its pilot project with infrastructure consulting firm AECOM and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). The team uses and refines custom numerical tools to design electrified pavements with three-phase dynamic inductive wireless charging technology that adheres to safety standards for magnetic fields.
The successful tests evaluated the durability and safety of the embedded systems. With the support of INDOT, the pilot project installed an 85-transmitter-coil 230-kW dynamic wireless charging system along a ¼-mile stretch of US-52/US-231. The ASPIRE team developed and integrated a receiver assembly and 200-kW dc-dc converter into a heavy-duty electric truck. With the truck moving at highway speed (60 mph), the 79-90 kHz system at 200 kW output power measured a dc-to-dc efficiency of 91.4%.
The team developed power scaling approaches for MHz-frequency dynamic capacitive wireless charging to reduce costs. The team also engineered several new cementitious composite formulations designed to increase durability and cost-effectiveness.