Wireless charging races off the grid with motorsport deal

A “game-changing” technology that allows electric race cars to charge up as they speed round a track at over 200mph could eventually see the system expanded to the UK’s roads.

That is the hope of green motorsport research firm Drayson Racing Technologies, which yesterday signed a deal with New Zealand start-up HaloIPT to trial and market its induction-charging technology to the motorsport industry.

Drayson is looking to kit out electric cars so they can pick up power wirelessly from transmitters buried under the surface of a road or race track and transfer it to the vehicle’s electric battery – a system Lord Paul Drayson, co-founder of Drayson Racing, said could eventually feature on the UK’s roads.

“Dynamic wireless charging will be a real game-changer, enabling zero-emission electric vehicles to race over long periods without the need for heavy batteries,” Drayson said in a statement. “This is a milestone innovation that will have a dramatic effect, not just on racing but on the mainstream auto industry.”

The induction-charging technology works in a similar manner to a scaled-up electric toothbrush charger and allows electricity to be transferred over distances of up to 400mm.

The system was launched in the UK in October as a method of enabling electric car owners to charge their cars simply by parking over pads fitted in garages, and the company has since teamed up with EV charging infrastructure specialist Chargemaster to bring the technology to market.

Drayson and HaloIPT said that as well as trialling a system that can charge vehicles as they drive, they will also co-operate on the development of electric drive-train packages and trackside-charging systems that can replace standard internal combustion engines.

Source: http://www.businessgreen.com/print_article/bg/news/2096861/wireless-charging-races-grid-motorsport-deal