With wireless charging available, battery size of electric vehicles may be reduced, and thereby, reduce the price of EVs
Discussions are underway to electrify the Golden Quadrilateral, a network of highways connecting the four metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The initiative, proposed as part of Vision 2030: PM Public Transport Sewa, is planned to be executed over the next seven years to boost the adoption of e-mobility and deployment of e-buses, according to media reports.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will invite private bidders to develop the electrified highways on a ‘build, operate and transfer’ model, according to news daily The Economic Times. “Work is also on to identify and convert existing highways into e-highways by setting up enough charging stations for electric buses to ply between cities, thus giving a boost to cost-effective green intercity public transport. Under this, the cost will be borne by the Centre and states,” the news report added, citing government officials.
Though details of this initiative are not available, governments across the country are known to have a focus on conductive charging and are now in operations mode, accelerating the setting up of charging stations in their respective states.
In this rush to implement, they are likely to overlook the technology of wireless charging. Wireless charging is based on inductive transfer of energy, where a vehicle parked on the road may be charged with the help of a base pad embedded under the surface of the road without the need for any wires and connectors.
While the electric vehicles (EV) industry was taking off in India over the last decade, many large OEMs around the world have been developing a supplier base for wireless charging technologies. Today, these technologies have achieved efficiencies of more than 90 per cent, which is only 1-2 per cent less than plug-in systems, as reported by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Such levels of efficiencies work to soothe the concerns around transmission loss, which is estimated to be higher in wireless technologies. Additionally, IEEE reported:
Safety is incorporated in the ancillary systems covering foreign object detection (FOD) and living object protection (LOP). An FOD system identifies any metallic objects between the base pad and vehicle pad. This is important as metal items, even small objects such as a paperclip, may heat up and could pose a burn risk during power transfer. An LOP system identifies the presence of humans or animals close to the power transfer system, where magnetic field levels may exceed exposure regulations. Examples include a child reaching for a ball under a vehicle or a cat sitting under a vehicle.
It is important to reiterate that the current wireless charging technologies address both FOD and LOP safety risks.
An enhancement to wireless charging, ‘dynamic wireless charging technology’ is capable of charging the vehicle with base pads embedded under the surface of the road, while the vehicle is on the move. This technology of dynamic wireless charging would turn the Golden Quadrilateral into a drivers’ paradise. Imagine driving from New Delhi to Mumbai in a low-cost EV with low-cost electricity, without any range anxiety!
The EVs would be low-cost if opportunity charging is available and thus, battery size may be reduced.
Add to that the time of day tariff and vehicle to grid technology and owners may be able to further economise their EV usage by charging at lower tariffs and selling back to the grid when tariffs are higher.
A well-planned strategy of setting up effective wireless charging infrastructure would not only make the Golden Quadrilateral user-friendly, but through the availability of efficient opportunity charging options, aid faster electrification of all vehicle segments, including heavy-duty vehicles. The expansive road network would then aid faster movements of goods and services and accelerate decarbonisation of transport.
Though a thorough investigation and cost-benefit analysis is warranted, now is the time for policymakers to pay attention to new ideas to charge ahead in the international technological race without being stuck with the sunk cost of an obsolete conductive charging technology.
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