Research in Indiana lays groundwork for highways that recharge EVs of all sizes across the nation

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[–] 48 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (6 children)

Conceptually neat, but the reality is that wireless charging for even small devices like phones is a pretty significant waste of energy, at scale. The amounts of energy involved with wirelessly charging a heavy truck - or even car - would be unconscionably large.

It’s a bit like uber with their not-a-bus bus service. Humans already invented a solution that works really well. It’s called a pantograph. Sweden is testing a ground-level power supply that provides 800kW per vehicle at 130kph.

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  • [–] 18 points 10 months ago (2 children)

    Yeah, this sounds stupid, and I'm worried about the amount of power wasted by induction charging. Anyone who's wirelessly charged a phone knows it can get quite hot; that's wasted energy. And Indiana's generation is still mostly natural gas and coal, so at some point, with enough losses in transmission and charging, you'll end up with a higher-carbon vehicle than a diesel truck...

    I am not sure what that point is, but the efficiency of charging is an important consideration in my mind.

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  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago

    Well, it sorta makes sense in hindsight, it'd be even longer otherwise + this way you can clear lower obstacles on curves... But holy shit does it look like it shouldn't be possible. I mean they're super heavy, right? Right?

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