Plugless Power: Difference between revisions
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[[Electromagnetic induction]], the backbone of the nation’s [[electrical grid]] and the basis of [[transformer]] technology, has been around since 1885. Drawing on parent company MTC Transformers’ twenty years of custom [[transformer]] development and production,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.virginiabusiness.com/index.php/news/article/manufacturing-mtc-transformers/ |title = MANUFACTURING: MTC Transformers |publisher = Virginia Business |author = Mulliken, Bruce | date = April 30, 2009 9:00 AM |accessdate= 2009-09-19}}</ref><ref name="Inc.com">{{cite web |url = http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2009/company-profile.html?id=200918650 |title = Company Profile No. 1,865 - MTC Transformers |publisher = Inc.com |date = 2009 |accessdate= 2009-09-19}}</ref> Plugless Power producer Evatran is now applying [[electromagnetic induction|magnetic induction]] to the charging of [[Electric Vehicle|EV]]s. Plugless Power consists of two components: (1) a vehicle adapter permanently mounted onto the vehicle and (2) a fixed base unit, housed in a garage or in a equipped parking space, which automatically aligns with the vehicle adapter and is automatically energized to start charging the electric vehicle. With the Plugless Power dual-component EVSE, current flows from one source to another without using a plug and a cord, enabling “hands-free” charging. |
[[Electromagnetic induction]], the backbone of the nation’s [[electrical grid]] and the basis of [[transformer]] technology, has been around since 1885. Drawing on parent company MTC Transformers’ twenty years of custom [[transformer]] development and production,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.virginiabusiness.com/index.php/news/article/manufacturing-mtc-transformers/ |title = MANUFACTURING: MTC Transformers |publisher = Virginia Business |author = Mulliken, Bruce | date = April 30, 2009 9:00 AM |accessdate= 2009-09-19}}</ref><ref name="Inc.com">{{cite web |url = http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2009/company-profile.html?id=200918650 |title = Company Profile No. 1,865 - MTC Transformers |publisher = Inc.com |date = 2009 |accessdate= 2009-09-19}}</ref> Plugless Power producer Evatran is now applying [[electromagnetic induction|magnetic induction]] to the charging of [[Electric Vehicle|EV]]s. Plugless Power consists of two components: (1) a vehicle adapter permanently mounted onto the vehicle and (2) a fixed base unit, housed in a garage or in a equipped parking space, which automatically aligns with the vehicle adapter and is automatically energized to start charging the electric vehicle. With the Plugless Power dual-component EVSE, current flows from one source to another without using a plug and a cord, enabling “hands-free” charging. |
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As the technology advances, and the market grows for [[electric vehicle|Electric Vehicles]], Plugless Power is gaining popular attention.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.evcast.com/members/evcast/blog/VIEW/00000001/00000292/EVcast-267-There-and-Back-AgainEventually.html | |
As the technology advances, and the market grows for [[electric vehicle|Electric Vehicles]], Plugless Power is gaining popular attention.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.evcast.com/members/evcast/blog/VIEW/00000001/00000292/EVcast-267-There-and-Back-AgainEventually.html |title = EVcast #267: There and Back Again...Eventually |publisher = evcast.com |host = Bennett, Bo | date = September 1st 2009 3:36 PM |accessdate= 2009-09-19}}</ref> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Founded in 2009, Evatran was formed as a clean technology subsidiary of MTC Transformers, an American provider of high-quality, precision-engineered transformers and rewind services based in Wytheville, Virginia. With engineers of over a century combined experience in engineering and designing custom transformer solutions, Evatran is an innovator bringing inductive charging into the clean technology arena. Evatran’s Plugless Power™ is claimed as the world’s first hands-free plugless charging system for electric vehicles and extended-range hybrids, providing a more convenient way to charge electric cars.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.pluglesspower.com/ |date = 2009 |accessdate= 2009-09-19}}</ref> |
Founded in 2009, Evatran was formed as a clean technology subsidiary of MTC Transformers, an American provider of high-quality, precision-engineered transformers and rewind services based in Wytheville, Virginia. With engineers of over a century combined experience in engineering and designing custom transformer solutions, Evatran is an innovator bringing inductive charging into the clean technology arena. Evatran’s Plugless Power™ is claimed as the world’s first hands-free plugless charging system for electric vehicles and extended-range hybrids, providing a more convenient way to charge electric cars.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.pluglesspower.com/ |title = Plugless Power website |date = 2009 |accessdate= 2009-09-19}}</ref> |
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MTC Transformers, Evatran’s parent company, has been recognized as one of the fastest growing manufacturers in Virginia. The state’s “Fantastic 50” Vanguard Winner in 2009, MTC Transformers has appeared on Virginia’s “Fantastic 50” list since 2007 and has been named an Inc. 500/5000 Awards Honoree for the past 2 years.<ref name="Inc.com" /> |
MTC Transformers, Evatran’s parent company, has been recognized as one of the fastest growing manufacturers in Virginia. The state’s “Fantastic 50” Vanguard Winner in 2009, MTC Transformers has appeared on Virginia’s “Fantastic 50” list since 2007 and has been named an Inc. 500/5000 Awards Honoree for the past 2 years.<ref name="Inc.com" /> |
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Revision as of 07:16, 19 September 2009
| File:Plugless Power Logo with slogan.png | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric vehicle infrastructure |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Thomas Hough |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Thomas Hough (CEO) Vincenzo I. Paparo (Co-Founder) |
| Products | Inductive charging system |
| Owner | Evatran LLC |
| Parent | MTC Transformers |
Plugless Power is a type of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) based on inductive charging. Plugless Power, a charging system for the electric vehicle (EV), connects the on-board EV battery charger inductively to the electrical power source. In simple terms, the two halves of the electric transformer are separated – one installed on the vehicle and one installed on the floor of a garage or in a parking lot. When the two pieces are brought together, electrical current flowing in the station from the electrical grid causes current to flow into the vehicle adapter charging the battery.
Electromagnetic induction, the backbone of the nation’s electrical grid and the basis of transformer technology, has been around since 1885. Drawing on parent company MTC Transformers’ twenty years of custom transformer development and production,[1][2] Plugless Power producer Evatran is now applying magnetic induction to the charging of EVs. Plugless Power consists of two components: (1) a vehicle adapter permanently mounted onto the vehicle and (2) a fixed base unit, housed in a garage or in a equipped parking space, which automatically aligns with the vehicle adapter and is automatically energized to start charging the electric vehicle. With the Plugless Power dual-component EVSE, current flows from one source to another without using a plug and a cord, enabling “hands-free” charging.
As the technology advances, and the market grows for Electric Vehicles, Plugless Power is gaining popular attention.[3]
History
Founded in 2009, Evatran was formed as a clean technology subsidiary of MTC Transformers, an American provider of high-quality, precision-engineered transformers and rewind services based in Wytheville, Virginia. With engineers of over a century combined experience in engineering and designing custom transformer solutions, Evatran is an innovator bringing inductive charging into the clean technology arena. Evatran’s Plugless Power™ is claimed as the world’s first hands-free plugless charging system for electric vehicles and extended-range hybrids, providing a more convenient way to charge electric cars.[4]
MTC Transformers, Evatran’s parent company, has been recognized as one of the fastest growing manufacturers in Virginia. The state’s “Fantastic 50” Vanguard Winner in 2009, MTC Transformers has appeared on Virginia’s “Fantastic 50” list since 2007 and has been named an Inc. 500/5000 Awards Honoree for the past 2 years.[2]
Electric Vehicle Challenges
Electric vehicles are perceived as a necessary solution to the global transportation/pollution dilemma, but there are significant challenges. Some issues include:
• Technologies being developed now are not the final product. Just like the more than century-old [internal combustion engine], electric vehicle technology will steadily improve. Engineers are still studying designs to mitigate environmental conditions such as changes in temperature, altitude, and terrain.
• Electric cars alone cannot stop climate change. Although cars and trucks are a growing contributor to greenhouses gases worldwide (because the population is growing), vehicles are only one contributor. Coal power plants are the biggest problem, and their population is growing, too. Drivers of electric vehicles who aim to maximize the ecological benefits of EVs should use a renewable energy provider to ensure environmentally-responsible charging.
• Areas that would benefit most from zero-emission electric vehicles are congested cities. And yet, personal, privately-owned, off-street parking is not common in high-density metropolitan areas. Some people can purchase parking spots, and parking garage owners will add charging facilities as these cars gain popularity, but many city dwellers will forgo electric vehicles until ultra-fast charging becomes available (charging as fast as a gasoline fill-up) or the battery swap concept takes off.[5]
• Electric vehicles are perhaps too quiet. Blind pedestrians need vehicular noise to be alerted to their vicinity.
• One of the main consumer complaints regarding full-electric vehicles is hesitation surrounding “range anxiety.” With maximum ranges around 100 miles in a [BEV], many consumers hesitate to use the full range and worry about being stranded with an empty battery. Despite the US Department of Transportation reporting the average daily commute around 50 to 60 miles (roundtrip), consumers struggle with seeing a BEV as their primary vehicle. One issue bolstering this problem is the lack of nationwide EV infrastructure. Just like with the ICE being dependent on the gas station, BEVs owners need to have the confidence of knowing a charging station is just around the corner to encourage them to purchase and use electric vehicles. One answer to this problem has come in the form of the [plug-in hybrid] (EREV), which quells hesitation around range-anxiety with a backup gasoline powered gerenator. Even with owning a EREV, however, EV infrastructure is needed to encourage consumers to recharge their EV batteries from the electrical grid whenever possible to avoid using the gasoline.
• Congruent to the issue of range anxiety is the current problem of recharging time. With consumers used to a five minute gas station stop every 300 miles, asking consumers to stop for a 6 to 8 hour recharge break every 100 miles is a monumental hurdle to overcome. In daily life, with commutes staying around 60 miles, it is simple for a consumer to plug in his vehicle while he sleeps each night to awake to a full charge the following morning.
• Long distance travel, however, poses a much more difficult challenge. Charging electric vehicles can be inconvenient or repetitive. Consumers may run into issues related to forgetting to plug in their vehicle, safety hesitations, or not understanding the technical requirements and restrictions of their vehicles.
Manufacturer
Evatran is the manufacturer of Plugless Power™, the world’s first hands-free plugless charging system for electric vehicles. Utilizing a dual-component system based on inductive technology, Evatran’s Plugless Power™ streamlines the charging of electric vehicles and extended-range hybrids by eliminating the nuisance of the cord and the plug. The result is an automatic electric-vehicle charging system that is convenient, fast, safe, affordable, and universal. Evatran’s customers are manufacturers, dealers, and drivers of electric or extended-range hybrid vehicles. Other customers utilizing Plugless Power™ may include corporations, municipal governments, utilities, residential developers, new homebuilders, retailers, and small businesses.
See also
References
- ^ Mulliken, Bruce (April 30, 2009 9:00 AM). "MANUFACTURING: MTC Transformers". Virginia Business. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b "Company Profile No. 1,865 - MTC Transformers". Inc.com. 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
- ^ Bennett, Bo (September 1st 2009 3:36 PM). "EVcast #267: There and Back Again...Eventually". evcast.com. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Plugless Power website". 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
- ^ Mulliken, Bruce (April 12, 2009). "The Challenges Of Electric Drive". Green Energy News. Retrieved 2009-09-15.