refueling

Our roads have and will have new “tenants” in a few years. The question we ask then is how to refuel the vehicle in the future? Some brands look to a future in which electricity, hydrogen or methane gas coexist with gasoline.

Inductive load

Of all the systems is probably the most comfortable charging system. Wirelessly with the inductive load power is transferred wirelessly to the vehicle battery through a load plate buried in the road surface.

Volvo, BMW and Daimler are working on several projects to realize this type of charges. The first, in collaboration with the Belgian specialist in technology and development Flanders’Drive. BMW, meanwhile, uses the help of Siemens for its development. Mercedes is confident his experience and research alone.

This technology is valid for long stops or if the driver is only going to recharge the car a short time. Furthermore, charging stations can be installed almost anywhere, making it almost invisible and immune to attacks of vandalism.

How it works

The charging station is connected to the public network through a primary coil completely buried. A second coil is placed in the car, at an approximate distance between the two of between 8 and 15 cm . When the driver starts the charging process, an electric current starts flowing through the main coil. The magnetic field induces electrical current in the secondary coil, which recharges the battery. The electricity network is transmitted to all components and the battery with an efficiency of over 90 percent. And what is more important, the magnetic field is generated exclusively in a predetermined area between the two coils.

Sol-ineras

The sun as a main source to power electric vehicles and fuel cell. This is the main idea why leave the paths of Honda and Mitsubishi Research. Just months ago, Honda showed us a complete recharge station for electric vehicles and fuel cell in which the energy is obtained by large solar panels. This latest project of the Japanese manufacturer, already in evidence at their headquarters in the city of Saitama Nippon, be supported by advanced communication technologies and telematics.

While in California, Mitsubishi has just released a “gaolinera” in which suppliers to recharge the batteries of electric vehicles fed by the energy collected by photovoltaic modules supplied by Mitsubishi Electric. Capable of charging up to four vehicles at the same time, the resort features three types of chargers with different voltages: 110V, able to “put the batteries” on 22 hours a Mitsubishi i, 220v, you only need six hours to charge, and fast charge in 25 minutes the battery will Mitsubishi Electric to 80 percent capacity.

Audi E-gas

No one, not two, but three. Electricity, hydrogen and methane gas, three sources of energy supply Audi project under the e-gas. And it will also directly involved in production, without recourse to other actors. To do this, Audi will fund the installation of four large power plants located in a wind farm in the North Sea. Each with a rated capacity of 3.6 MW, will provide around 53 GWh of electricity annually. This is equivalent to the electricity needs of a medium sized city.

How it works

1. Air turbines generating clean power, part of which Audi used to produce their vehicles and-Tron and to use its electric drive models in the future.

2. A second plant uses the rest of the green energy to produce hydrogen. An electrolyzer splits water (H 2 O) into its component parts: hydrogen (H 2) and oxygen (O 2) by electrolysis. This hydrogen can power the vehicles powered by fuel cells.

3. In a third step in the methanation unit, hydrogen is combined with carbon dioxide (CO 2) to create methane (CH 4), a synthetic substitute for natural gas. This will be sent to the German natural gas network and the network of CNG filling stations.

Changing the batteries

Better Place and Renault were the first to go for this system, faster and cleaner than a traditional fuel refueling. It only takes a minute, is automatic and the driver does not have to leave your car.

It works this way. A robot takes out the old battery from the vehicle, while another robot is in charge of transport and inserting the new battery. At the end of the process, the system returns to a storage battery to recharge and prepare it for use in another car. This system is designed to work with different sizes and shapes of batteries to be applicable to a wide range of electric vehicles.

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