Automotive

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Wireless Charging Breakthrough for Recharging Moving Electric Cars

If electric cars could recharge while driving, concerns about their range would be virtually eliminated - a big step towards making electricity the standard fuel for vehicles. Stanford University scientists have now overcome a major hurdle to such a future by wirelessly transmitting electricity to a nearby moving object. "In addition to advancing the wireless charging of vehicles and personal devices like cellphones, our new technology may untether robotics in manufacturing, which also are on the move," says electrical engineer Shanhui Fan. In their work, the team used magnetic resonance coupling to transmit electricity wirelessly to a moving LED lightbulb. That demonstration only involved a 1-milliwatt charge, whereas electric cars often require tens of kilowatts to operate. The team is now working on greatly increasing the amount of electricity that can be transferred, and tweaking the system to extend the transfer distance and improve efficiency.