Formed by Virginian-based MTC Transformers in 2009, Evatran is looking to provide convenient, universal, and reliable charging solutions for electric vehicles. With its Plugless Power electric vehicle supply equipment, the company is aiming to make EV charging a fairly simple affair. The system consists of two main parts, one fitted to the vehicle and the other on the ground in front of a control tower. First off, owners will need to get a specially designed adapter fitted and linked up to the car's onboard battery charger. After this, when the car pulls up in front of a Plugless Power control tower the floor-mounted parking block automatically detects and aligns itself to the adapter in the car. The system then uses magnetic induction to bridge the small gap and start charging the battery. Evatran's current system does lose some energy during transfer (around 20 per cent) but by the time the system is launched, the company anticipates that it can get its enhanced solution operating at 90 per cent efficiency or more. Still short of perfect but the company says that this won't necessarily lead to increased charging times as "the charger will draw additional watts from the electrical outlet to compensate for the small efficiency loss."
(Source: Earth2Tech/ Gizmag) |
