Modelling System of "Slide In" Energy transfer Between Road and Vehicle

Abstract: As fossil based fuels are ever more proving to be an unsustainable energy-resource, it is of critical importance to find a new way to deliver power to the worlds vehicles in order to anticipate an ever-growing population and sustain economic growth. The task is complicated but very achievable from a technological point of view. It is however greatly overshadowed in complexity when it comes to educating about new technology and making it seem accessible and plausible to members of the general population who are not inclined to embrace radical changes. This thesis presents a new concept of delivering electric energy to road vehicles. It is in this thesis referred to as “Slide-in method of energy transfer between road and vehicle”. The principle of the concept is that direct delivery of energy to vehicles should occur via electrically powered sections in the road. In order to aid in educating people about the concept a scaled model representing such a system has been built. The model involves autonomously controlled vehicles travelling a course with electrically powered lanes. The vehicles have retractable connectors that connect to the lanes and are used to charge the vehicles’ on-board battery. This gives the vehicles the ability to travel on roads with and without powered lanes. The model was built at LTH in Lund during January through June 2011 and was demonstrated at Volvo Powertrain headquarters in Gothenburg in June 2011. The model got positive response from the attendees and proved to be a valuable asset in visually presenting the concept.