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Hughston
This sounds like a technique that some cordless toothbrush products used to use ...
Frank Eory
I have to agree with Sparky_Watt. Waste due to the inefficiency of wireless ...
Car makers signal interest in wireless charging
Rick Merritt
10/20/2010 5:49 PM EDT
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Car makers are signaling their interest in wireless charging as another piece of the digital cockpit.
In one sign of the road ahead a General Motors executive is chairing a standards effort that hopes to set interoperability standards for the magnetic induction approach. Toyota and Ford managers said they also are interested in the technology and the standards effort.
"I am motivated by the possibility that wireless charging provides drivers convenience and aesthetics," said John Suh who manages an advanced technology office for GM in Silicon Valley and chairs the standards group launched in May by the Consumer Electronics Association.
The CEA effort aims to set a baseline for interoperability for chargers using magnetic coupling. One spec will target connections of less than one centimeter from coil to coil, another will address a two to six centimeter distance. The group will meet here Friday.
The group will also try to define power efficiency and standard nomenclature for different technical approaches. The committee will "look at all the technologies that could provide wireless charging--optical, RF and conductive as well as inductive approaches--. they all provide some benefit, Suh said.
Wireless charging "is in an advanced engineering stage and out of research" at Ford, said John Schneider, a chief engineer at Ford, speaking on a panel at the annual CEA Industry Forum. "We are watching to see if the standards are successful--that’s key," but the company has yet to choose a technology, said Schneider.
Car makers are still working through the costs and use cases for wireless charging, given users often keep mobile devices in a pocket or scharge gadgets overnight at home.
"Wireless charging has not factored in the top ten [in Toyota's user surveys, raher] it's been one of the bottom features people are willing to pay for," said Jon Bucci, a vice president of advanced technology at Toyota. Nevertheless, "our product planners are looking at [wireless charging] deeply," he said.
"The use cases and value is still to be proven," agreed Schneider of Ford. Almost as important, he asked "will Apple support it because unless Apple supports it" it won't be used on millions of iPhones and iPods, he said.
Despite the doubts, wireless charging could be the next step in smartphone services and apps car makers are racing to link to their vehicles. Last year, Ford released a set of APIs to link to its car controls smartphone services like Pandora.
"There will be a Toyota announcement along these lines at CES," said Bucci of Toyota.
In a CES keynote, Ford is also expected to announce more details about its future infotianment systems.
The Chevy Volt to be released in November lets users unlock, start and turn on air conditioning or heat remotely from a smartphone. "These sorts of features will roll out across our other vehicles," said Suh.
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pixies
10/21/2010 1:11 PM EDT
Any body know can live tissues be damaged if get caught between an wireless charger and an device?
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http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/poconoarmchairreview
10/22/2010 4:17 AM EDT
If it does, maybe we can expect the drawback to be portrayed as a feature, with the US government providing an endorsement (since they own GM), such as, "And, it makes the most delicious roast chicken you've ever tasted!"
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Baolt
10/27/2010 5:25 PM EDT
No way, wireless transfer is all around us, your radio harms u when u listen to it? its all about coils, and induction loaded. Nothing to do with flesh harm.
The idea of having wireless charge on car is cool, but too luxury & unnecessary in my view. Why not to focus on connected, more inteligent vehicles and safer vehicles.
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Duane Benson
10/21/2010 2:08 PM EDT
I don't know that I'd classify the need as a need for "wireless charging." I'd say the need is for easy and convenient charging. Wireless certainly could be an easy and convenient charging method, but not the only one.
I can see Toyota's point about it not being something consumers would pay for, even if they might want it. How long did we last with the charger for pretty much every single cell phone being different before agreeing on a standard?
The general public is rarely willing to pay for a specific technology (barring significant generated hype). They will, however, pay for a solution to their specific problem, phrased from their perspective. And the public will put up with a lot of peripheral inconvenience to get something they want.
Perhaps more important than wireless charging to the adoption of electric cars is the accessibility of charging stations in general and the charge time.
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T in Az
10/21/2010 3:24 PM EDT
I agree with Duane, this is putting the cart before the horse, and induction can't be as efficient as a direct connect and who will be expected to pay for the losses between the primary and secondary. Then there's the issue that Pixie alluded to, the close proximity to a high strength E-M field, some studies have linked leukemia to E-M radiation. Just wondering without any specifics.
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kinnar
10/21/2010 3:30 PM EDT
Charging the device has become a routine in every persons life today, given it is a Cell Phone, Media Player or Computing Device. It creates a mess in the domestic environment and offices including cars as well.
It is responsibility of device manufacturers compared to car manufacturers to bring wireless charging in application.
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Sparky_Watt
10/21/2010 4:29 PM EDT
When will the wireless people get it through their heads that wireless transmission is an energy sinkhole! It is only practical for applications where the power is low enough that the power efficiency is unimportant. If you put even a transformer in the path, you have a loss relative to direct wiring, and the bigger the gap the bigger the loss! In a time like ours when energy is scarce and getting scarcer, it is irresponsible to be talking about wireless power transmission. Bring it up again after fusion power has been solved!
To: T in Az -
Last I heard, there was no consistent correlation between E-M field exposure and any disease process, except burns. Because the results of the studies vary with study, you can get a negative result by cherry-picking studies, but that is unscientific. You must use all the credible data to come to a sound conclusion.
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http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/poconoarmchairreview
10/22/2010 4:27 AM EDT
The IEEE used to talk about "prudent avoidance" when discussing exposure to strong EM fields. And the US Federal Government requires new amateur radio operators to be tested on the subject of keeping strong radio fields away from people. Plus, all amateur radio operators must perform a site study (fairly informal, but which nevertheless follows certain rules) when radiated power is more than a few watts, to make sure antennas are not too close to people. But, wireless power transmission, cell phones, and all other things that are expected to generate a lot of money are A-OK, because of the recently discovered, scientifically determined, "money-safety" correlation.
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DrQuine
10/22/2010 9:48 PM EDT
Wireless charging in a special lane on highways (the HOV lane) could extend the range of PHEV and EV vehicles. The car's receiving coil could be lowered down to the road or attached to a fifth wheel. Coils embedded in the road in high traffic areas or parking lots could also help recharge vehicles.
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Frank Eory
10/27/2010 6:04 PM EDT
I have to agree with Sparky_Watt. Waste due to the inefficiency of wireless transfer of energy is a big deal, even if we are just talking about charging millions of personal electronic devices this way. When you add electric vehicles -- thousands of amp-hours of battery capacity instead of just 2 or 3 amp-hours per user -- then this wasted energy has significant cost and environmental impact.
The burning of fossil fuels is still the #1 method of generating electricity worldwide, by a wide margin. How many megatons of additional greenhouse gases is it worth just to offer consumers the convenience of wirelessly charging their electric cars?
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Hughston
11/29/2010 2:36 PM EST
This sounds like a technique that some cordless toothbrush products used to use in the 90s. From a reliability standpoint it helps to not have an opening in the product to avoid ESD failures. It’s nice not to have charging cords and the mechanical failures associated with plugging in a cord. The power jack is one of the highest failure mechanisms in a product. But, I think that the standard will evolve and in 5 years products will need more current or another charging standard.
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