Google experiments with plugless charging for electric vehicles

By | March 22, 2011, 8:11am PDT

Summary: Yep, we all know that Google is pretty fanatical when it comes to green and clean technology research and development. So I wasn’t surprised to hear last night that the giant Internet company is among the first to install a new wireless electric vehicle charging system from Plugless Power. The technology, which requires a retrofit [...]

Yep, we all know that Google is pretty fanatical when it comes to green and clean technology research and development. So I wasn’t surprised to hear last night that the giant Internet company is among the first to install a new wireless electric vehicle charging system from Plugless Power. The technology, which requires a retrofit of your electric vehicle, will be trialed at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. You car charges when you park it over the device (ala the photo to the right). Google uses a number of low-speed electric vehicles on its campus for short distance travel needs; right now, it uses plug-in charging stations.

This will be the first public pilot of the technology, which was developed by a company called Evatran. Plugless Power is actively seeking other potential partners for tests in the third quarter of 2011, from among both potential commercial and public sector clients. The technology is supposed to work with most electric vehicle models, but it DOES require a retrofit. The little promo video below provides a deeper illustration of how the technology works:

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Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist with a passion for green technology and corporate sustainability issues.

Disclosure

Heather Clancy

Writing publicly about what the high-tech industry is actually doing to help itself and the world get greener or more sustainable is one way I figure I can contribute more meaningfully to said effort. I am also a big OMG-kind-of-fan of smart leadership, which is why the goodly folks who publish this blog let me go on about this topic and why I am always on the hunt for forward-looking business management ideas.

My daily writing is focused on looking for topics for my blogs, GreenTech Pastures and Business Brains. I also write often about emerging technology trends such as mobile computing, unified communications and cloud computing. Occasionally, I will pop up at an industry conference in some sort of speaking capacity. In cases where a speaking engagement involves a sponsor that may be covered in this blog, that fact will be disclosed in coverage as appropriate.

My corporate writing work usually consists of crafting research white papers about some aspect of technology. In the event that my commentary (in written, audio or video form) mentions a company for which I have provided consulting advice, I will disclose that fact. However, there is no connection between these projects and the topics that I am covering in my blog.

Biography

Heather Clancy

Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist with a passion for green technology and corporate sustainability issues. Her articles have appeared in Entrepreneur, Fortune Small Business, The International Herald Tribune and The New York Times. In a past corporate life, Heather was editor of Computer Reseller News, where she was a featured speaker about everything from software as a service to IT security to mobile computing.

Heather started her journalism life as a business writer with United Press International in New York. She holds a B.A. in English literature from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and has a thing for Lewis Carroll.

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RE: Google experiments with plugless charging for electric vehicles
lackneramanda Updated - 18th Jul
The technology seems very fascinating, but the principles behind the working of this technology is very basic - electromagnetic induction in carparts - which has been in use in Transformers for over 100 years now
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but they using regular hybrid cars like everyone else. Perhaps Google should switch to wind energy cause there's a large abundance of blow-hard located at there headquarters.
@iPad-awan but if it was Steve Jobs you'd be proud of your pioneering leader and his commitment to the cause.

Yawn! another iPad owner without an open mind.
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I agree
readWiz 29th Mar 2011
@musicmonkey
Google should be respected for experimenting, whether it be with a hybrid, EV, or a massive Diesel engine gas guzzler; 'tis the only way to break ground and pave way for new technology solutions. Go Google!!! Save the world!!
The technology seems very fascinating, but the principles behind the working of this technology is very basic - electromagnetic induction in carparts - which has been in use in Transformers for over 100 years now
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Does it erase your hard drive?
Robert Hahn 22nd Mar 2011
An air-core transformer, like we see charging many electric shavers and toothbrushes. But at this scale, there have to be some fairly serious magnetic fields around that thing. What are the health ramifications?
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How to steal power
RealGem 23rd Mar 2011
Park your electric car in your neighbor's driveway and charge up on his cordless transformer.

More profitable than watering your lawn from his tap! wink

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