'Mats' to charge cars on move with electricity

[Saint in Paradise]

Farmers have known about it for decades. Theoretically, they can steal electricity wirelessly from the overhead cables that travel through pylons on their land.

 

"It was anecdotally a nifty way to nick power," says Dr Anthony Thomson whose company, HaloIPT, has launched the world's first commercially available wireless charging for cars.

 

HaloIPT is using the same technological knowledge to charge electric vehicles. Simply park over a HaloIPT induction pad, which looks a bit like a rubber mat, and begin charging. It cuts out the hassle of using a charging cable, which car manufacturers know put off people buying electric vehicles.

 

If HaloIPT has its way, eventually pads will be built into roads and cars will recharge by simply driving over them.

 

HaloIPT uses technology developed by professor John Boyd at the University of Auckland in the 1990s. It's a surprisingly simple concept that was first discovered in the 1880s, and is increasingly being used for everyday devices, from electric toothbrushes to inductive cooktops.

 

Rest of article by Diana Clement :-

 

http://msn.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10697511

 

 

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