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Plugless Power Wireless EV Charging Coming in 2011

As the world's first two electric vehicle rivals are getting ready to be launched onto the market, the main battle has moved from the two carmakers who produce them, Nissan and Chevrolet, to the manufacturers and distributors of charging solutions.

Whereas up until now we've been flooded with info about Coulomb, ECOtality or similar companies which currently deploy charging stations across the world, it's time for a new player to join this new game.

A company called Evatran is currently testing a wireless charging system for electric vehicles. Set to be launched onto the market in 2011, it promises to kill the inconvenience of having to plug in your car all the time, replacing it with a more comfortable, park-and-forget approach.

Called Plugless Power, the system is based on the inductive power transfer phenomenon used in electrical transformers. This means the car can be placed in a Plugless Power equipped parking space (which is, in fact, a magnetic field) and left there until it recharges.

The system comprises a vehicle adapter, specially designed for each EV model, and a fixed Plugless Power station. The price for the adapter which is to be fitted onto the vehicle is said to be $800 when it will be launched.

Currently, testing is being conducted to overcome what is to become a major problem. Plugless Power doesn't work if the car isn't parked within 2 inches (5 cm) from the station.

This weekend, autoevolution will be running a guide into how the system works. We'll try there to compare this to the conventional charging stations and, if possible, determine which is better.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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