Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
In 2009 Yu
et al.
[18] described a wireless power transfer apparatus similar to
Kurs, but without compensator resonators placed 5-40 cm apart operating at
760 kHz. At 40 cm the unit transmitted over 18 W power to a lamp at a voltage of
102 V
rms
. This coil spacing is sufficient for transmitting power to a secondary coil
in the vehicle floor pan while parked in a garage or moving along a roadbed.
During the near term, there will be further improvements to non-contacting
power transfer as a convenient means to charge PHEVs and BEVs. This would
indeed add to the consumer acceptance of such vehicles by taking out the
requirement that users remember to plug-in. With increasing development of
vehicle to charger via Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4-2003 protocol) and the ability to
communicate time of day rates and allowable power transfer levels, this would
mean the user simply park over the primary coil so that sufficient overlap exists to
transfer peak power. Such systems would essentially conform to smart grid sensor
and control paradigms for active load control. In addition, wireless power trans-
mission eliminates many of the safety concerns of cable and connector systems
such as those covered by the US National Electrical Code - 2008, Article 625,
Electric Vehicle Charging System Equipment.
12.4 Transporting cargo
Potentially one of the most promising near-term applications of AHS is the transpor-
tation of cargo. A good way to start this discussion on AHS transportation of freight is
to cite the words of a meeting of the Texas Department of Transportation [19]:
Freight is an immensely important component of our thinking. In the next
reauthorization, freight will be dominant in the Congress. People say that
freight doesn't vote, but it has immediate, immense, and financial, job, and
cost implications. And people are beginning to recognize this. It makes the
point very real that transportation policy and planning is not a parlor game;
it's a very serious thing that we have to address. One question I always ask is:
how many ton-miles are in your breakfast? If you look a pineapple, it's
probably two ton-miles to get that here. If you think of what we bring to our
homes, the number of ton-miles per capita is an extraordinary statistic.
Those comments coming from a policy-making component of state government
should be a real awakening for us. To paraphrase another of their comments is
something to the effect that today we are making things worse a little slower. This is
simply not sustainable and with AHS, which is now evolving to automated electrified
transportation (AET), is taking on more importance to move cargo and people.
Moving cargo as the first application of AHS/AET is a prudent approach to introduce
this technology as it would prove out and validate the claims of economics and
safety. Economides and Longbottom [20] have the following to say about AET.
A bold solution to these challenges may exist in the form of a dual mode
electrified transportation network. This concept merits a critical mass
research effort to evaluate the cost/benefit balance, identify and address the
technology challenges, analyze the transition pathways to the alternative
