Wireless charging and managing load: Two new solutions target EVs

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Depending on which research report you read, the pending roll out of mass-market EVs may or may not gain much consumer traction for another decade or two. But as BNet notes today, there will be upper-end neighborhoods at some point with a concentration of EVs plugging into the grid. And when that clustering happens, there's a risk of grid overload. That's the problem a new charging company is addressing with a server-like software solution designed to manage electric resources. Prosser Company is focusing on New York City at this point, where it is partnering with Con Edison in a stimulus-backed smart grid award and plans to have a demonstration ready by March.

Meanwhile, the New York Times is reporting that auto supplier Delphi has partnered with WiTriCity to develop a wireless, hands-free EV charging technology. You simply park your car over an electricity charging pad. Accordng to the NYT technology is based on the same electromagnetic inductrion principle as an electric toothbrush.

Quick Take:  There are those who wonder why cordless charging is needed since plugging in is pretty simple. But as EV adoption eventually picks up, there may be all sorts of surprises about expectations. Early adopters are one thing; when the numbers start building it's anybody's guess what consumers will want.

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