'Game changing' Qualcomm wireless charging could feature on BMWs by 2017

No mention of the ~20% efficiency losses associated with wireless charging.

Chris TX said:

No mention of the ~20% efficiency losses associated with wireless charging.

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I am curious (and have no idea, thus this post), even with a ~20% efficiency loss, would it still be 'better' than ICE? What I am getting at is if wireless charging somehow did manage to captivate people into electric cars in significant numbers, would the cars still be better for the environment (given 20% waste of electricity), and would they still be economical (compared to filling up with gas, assuming the car owner ends up paying for all electricity)? For my question, I'm fine ignoring all other factors (of which I am sure there are many, infrastructure costs, maybe environmental factors (snow on the roads?)).

It would be interesting/ironic if wireless chargers ended up on our roads, maybe at intersections. Thus, while you are annoyed waiting at a red light, maybe you get a top up of range at the same time

I'd rather have the snake

Chris TX said:

No mention of the ~20% efficiency losses associated with wireless charging.

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Chris, If it helps - We have had wall to battery efficiency in low 90's % efficiency for a while now, compared to AC Plug in efficiency (also measured wall to battery) which is at best a few % more and generally in the 95% area

[yes I am the same G Davison]

This is one final step that will put EVs in front of gas cars. Not only equal but overtake them.
A car that does not ever need to fill or plug in.
You park and drive. And nothing else.

This company offers a 3.3 kW solution already for Leafs and Volts but, 22 kW would be impressive if the car (i.e. Tesla alone at this point) can handle it:

Go Plugless - Unleash your EV with Wireless Charging

gdavison said:

Chris, If it helps - We have had wall to battery efficiency in low 90's % efficiency for a while now, compared to AC Plug in efficiency (also measured wall to battery) which is at best a few % more and generally in the 95% area

[yes I am the same G Davison]

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So, how much weight would it add to the car (excluding any additional cabling)? And what kind of size device would be required for 22kW?

thegruf said:

Still going to need SCs for longer trips but I can see these at traffic lights

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No need. Long-distance driving has most traffic lights at the beginning and end, not where you'd need the charge in the middle.

... and many parking bays for a quick top up without having to fuss with cables.

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Possibly.

Perhaps more interesting is that over time with sufficient installs, the requirement to haul 85KHW weight of battery around with you may actually decrease.
If you image these everywhere then of course the ICE case fall apart quicker then ever.

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No, can't see it. Batteries will get cheaper, and capacity ~ range ~ power ~ charging speed. So, most people would always want and buy more capacity.
Long-distance driving is relatively infrequent. Putting stuff in the road just means more cost for the road and more disruption when there's construction or an accident.

Tesla has the model right: larger batteries, allowing good performance, charge at home for the vast majority of miles, allow buffer for outages or charging failure, use high-power-as-possible charging hubs for OTR recharging.

ItsNotAboutTheMoney said:

So, how much weight would it add to the car (excluding any additional cabling)? And what kind of size device would be required for 22kW?

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Well... isn't a residential transformer typically rated for 30 kW? I'd have to think that half a transformer, rated for 22 kW in a non-contact setup would have to be pretty substantial, even if it was only intended for a ~10% duty cycle.

this sounds great - but for public charging the cable offers the most flexibility.
In most outdoor parking lots you can have a single pedestal able to potentially able to plug into four parking spots - obviously not at once, but it can be done.
Wireless charging is a one spot, one car deal.

thegruf said:

weight ...

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What if the weight of the wireless charging exceeds the larger battery? Unlikely but possible. I say inductive charging is great for some situation, but not for cars because the convience gain is not worth the inefficiency cost, complexity, and monetary cost. Put it towards the better battery or robotic connectors like tesla's snake.

Testing now in the UK for embedded wireless charging in the roadways.

I could see such a feature for toll roads and HOV lanes in the States, with fees to follow.

The option of a full charge by the time I reached the office *and* by the time I got home, without having to compete for scarce resources would be nice. This would more easily facilitate offsite client meetings as well as never-ending evening commitments - without having to make time to charge elsewhere.

Sadly, even if in-road charging became viable, I doubt there would be widespread adoption for decades. Although a case could be made, perhaps, to just* embed the charging in parking lots or parking garages. After all, all cars have to park somewhere, sometime.

* "Just", he sez. Heh.