Utah State University Research Foundation’s Energy Dynamics Laboratory recently operated the first high-power, high-efficiency wireless power transfer system capable of transferring enough energy to quickly charge an electric vehicle. The lightweight, low-profile system demonstrated 90 percent electrical transfer efficiency of five kilowatts over an air gap of 10 inches. The demonstration at EDL’s North Logan, Utah, facility further validates that electric vehicles can efficiently be charged with wireless technology.
“This demonstration is an extraordinary and historic step in providing technologies to electric vehicle owners who will be able to pull their cars into garages at home and charge without having to plug in with cords,” said Jeff Muhs, Director of the Energy Dynamics Laboratory. “Our scientists and engineers have proven that enough power can be transferred over large distances to safely and efficiently charge electric car batteries from a pad under the ground to a receiver attached to the undercarriage of a vehicle – and this is just the beginning.”