DAIHEN leverages WiTricity wireless charging technology for solar-powered mobility demo in Japan
24 April 2020
WiTricity’s technology for wireless power transfer over distance was central to a next-generation electric mobility demonstration in Osaka, Japan, led by DAIHEN Corporation, a global leader in electric power transmission.
Partners since 2016, DAIHEN licensed WiTricity’s technology to commercialize wireless charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) and for automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) in factory and industrial settings.
DAIHEN has been using WiTricity’s DRIVE 11 wireless charging system as a reference design for its own line of standards-compliant wireless chargers for battery electric and hybrid electric vehicles.
DAIHEN recently launched a demonstration with Kansai Electric Power Co. at Expo Park in Osaka, Japan, to showcase next-generation mobility services using a small electric vehicle, similar in size and functionality to a golf cart, and a solar-powered wireless charging system, provided by DAIHEN. The February demonstration took place in Expo Park, a park and recreational facility with gardens and museums, nearly the size of Manhattan’s Central Park.
The demonstration integrated electric mobility, DAIHEN’s wireless charging system, on-demand vehicle reservation systems, location information and data utilization (e.g., human flow analysis) to create a next-generation mobility service. As part of the demonstration, Expo Park visitors were able to use their smartphones to call up electric carts, which were charged by a solar-powered wireless charging system. This system made car-sharing operations more convenient for both park managers and visitors.
The DAIHEN D-Broad system is a wireless charging solution for factory automation based on WiTricity’s patented magnetic resonance technology. D-Broad allows for wireless charging with a maximum gap of 40mm for power receiving & transmission, while the AGV (automated guided vehicle) can be stopped with a gap up to 10mm.
D-Broad streamlines factory automation by enabling fast, automatic charging at multiple locations along an AGV route through a factory as it transports materials and parts. The D-Broad system has been shipping since 2016 and continues to see strong momentum in the market.
In contrast to conventional plug-in charging systems that require human operators to take AGVs out of service to recharge, AGVs equipped with DAIHEN’s D-Broad can autonomously re-charge and work around the clock.
DAIHEN supplies the system on an OEM basis to AGV and mobile robotics manufacturers, and directly to advanced manufacturing engineers for custom factory automation projects. In addition to streamlining the AGV charging process, the D-Broad system also improves system reliability and reduces total cost of ownership by eliminating trouble-prone charging connectors and cables.
Wireless charging is essential to the future of mobility, whether that mobility happens on city streets or in factories. The future of mobility is autonomous, and in order to reach full autonomy, the charging cable has to be completely removed. Our demonstration in Osaka proved that renewable energy coupled with autonomy creates a smart mobility future.
—Ryohei Tanaka, Vice President, Operating Officer and General Manager of Wireless Power Transfer Division, DAIHEN
Make an electric awning for your car, drive with sun power.
Posted by: SJC_1 | 24 April 2020 at 11:44 AM
@SJC - maybe.
If you get an electric awning, you should be able to generate lets say 2 kW, but you'll make the front of your house darker.
If you park your car in front of your house during the daylight hours, you could charge it all day in the sun.
If you drive it to work, you'll have to do something else with the electricity.
You might need 500 watts to keep the house running with noone there.
This typically means sell it back to the grid, or store it in a a battery. The battery sounds like a good idea, but stationary batteries are very expensive at present (despite low headline figures like $200 / kWh). A Powerwall 2 will cost $6500 for 13 kWh.
It is a pity you can't buy shares in solar* parks where the deployment is at scale.
Better still would be a net metering solar park where you net out your electricity usage at home when the sun is shining on the park (and sell the rest to the grid at wholesale rates). (Metering would be tricky!)
(*Or, for that matter, in wind parks (as well)).
Posted by: mahonj | 25 April 2020 at 01:38 AM
Whatever, the idea is to run your car on power from the sun.
Posted by: SJC_1 | 25 April 2020 at 09:10 AM