Yesterday, GE introduced the Wattstation, designed by fuseproject. It strikes me as a nice looking, attention drawing design that seems appropriate for its assumed (by me) role of publicity and promotion for GE and urban electric vehicle initiatives. There is good technology beneath the pretty surface, citing faster charge times, smart grid power allocation, upgradability, etc.
It’s easy to call out issues of environmental durability at first glance. Though more so, I was struck by the stark contrast of these devices looking completely out-of-place in the city streetscapes in the banner images:
Charging ahead: WattStation (image links to WattStation site)
Once EV’s become more common and it would no longer be necessary for cities to trumpet their EV friendliness. Looking forward a bit, I imagined how a system like this be integrated into an existing landscape. I sketched this idea (quickly). It’s not wholly original, as I’ve read about concepts involving piezo electric generators + induction chargers to power electric cars as they drive. Still, I think my concept makes sense while minimizing the visual and technological “exposure” / “clutter”:
Coincidentally, there was a time when cars themselves were viewed as ugly, out of place visual clutter in urban centers.
…but what about the electrical charge frying your insides…???
Ha, good point. That’s why I’m showing it charging without any people in the vehicle…
Though I’m pretty sure the induction field is tuned and focused enough that it would only activate the coil. The same principle with induction stove tops: the pans heat up, not he food in them.
Inductive charging is actually a great concept for EV charging because it allows you to have a waterproof charging station. There aren’t any exposed contacts and everything can be sealed. This way there is no risk of a person getting shocked or the unit shorting out in a rain storm as you may have in direct coupling. There is only current transfer from one inductive coil to the next, so being near it won’t shock you.
The big disadvantage is materials (need more to create coils) and more importantly for a grid is it’s less efficient.