The Tale of the OLEV and its Recharging Road

                              

Yet another buzz from the world of transportation (see previous post on the Hyperloop), together we’ll explore the workings behind The Online Electric vehicle – I mean we just can’t do without moving.

On August 6, 2013, Gumi City in South Korea launched a new infrastructure for people to get by. It’s not your average everyday electric vehicle this time, it just upped a notch. Launching two buses (the South Koreans plan to increase that number by an additional 10 by 2015) that get charged right on the road is groundbreaking stuff of technology – at least on that scale.

Our smart phones have incorporated something called inductive charging (otherwise known as wireless charging) for quite some time now, and that is really similar to how the OLEV buses work as we’ll soon discover.

And just in case it hasn’t quite sunk in yet, let's recap by stating that the OLEV, unlike trams that require a pantograph to collect power through contact with an overhead catenary wire, or just another hybrid electric vehicle in need of a charging station, is in fact powered on the go by the road which steadily supplies it with power.

Obviously, this transcends beyond just a new vehicular technology to new road building technology as it were.

So, let’s get cracking already…

How does the OLEV work? 

 

The “recharging road” technology

 

The online Electric vehicle (OLEV) is an electric vehicle which uses electromagnetic induction; the interesting thing about it being how it seamlessly makes use of “recharging roads”. Electric power strips sourcing power from the national grid are buried 12 inches (30cm) beneath the road surface; this creates magnetic fields which are picked up, wirelessly of course, by a device attached to the under-body of the OLEV using a specially developed technology for the project, SMFIR (Shaped Magnetic Field in Resonance). This receiving device converts these fields into electricity which powers the OLEV – all while maintaining a 17cm air gap between the road and the under-body of the OLEV.

Do we rebuild all roads to incorporate this technology? If so, that would no doubt be an instant deal breaker. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), which is behind the project, notes that only a few sections of the road have to be rebuilt with embedded cables. Only 5% - 15% of the entire road they say, is embedded with the power strips. This is because the OLEV has a small battery that keeps it going when it’s not being recharged by the road. With the little retrofitting involved, I suppose one would hardly baulk at idea of taking on this kind of project in the near future.

How safe is it? #EMF exposure: Intense radiations would have also been a show-stopper for the OLEV, but we needn’t worry much the experts say. EMF exposure is minimal and within the margin of safety level – that pretty much takes care of the health concerns. In addition, the road also has a smart function of distinguishing OLEV buses from regular vehicles, thereby ensuring that the power strips remain switched off unless an OLEV bus is passing along – this further prevents EMF exposure and the unnecessary power consumption when on standby. 

The OLEV bus

 

So there you have it, a remarkable feat of engineering technology that is claiming numerous patents along the way. We can only expect that it is commercialized in the in the near future – and to be honest, that’s one sweet ride!

Fancy word you may wanna know about

Inductive Charging: Wireless charging as it is also called, involves using induction coils in both the device being charged and the charging base station. They both need to be close to form a transformer. Basically, the device being charged takes power from electromagnetic fields created and converts it to electric current. Look no further than a modern consumer electronic gadget to see this technology in action.