Narrow-Width Inductive Power Transfer System for Online Electrical Vehicles

A new inductive power transfer system with a narrow rail width, a small pickup size, and a large air gap for online electric vehicles is proposed in this paper. By introducing a new core structure, the orientation of the magnetic flux alternates along with the road; hence, an inductive power transfer system with a narrow rail width of 10 cm, a large air gap of 20 cm, and a large lateral displacement about 24 cm was implemented. The resonant circuit of the inductive power transfer system, driven by a current source, was fully characterized. The experimental results showed that the maximum output power was 35 kW and that the maximum efficiency was 74% at 27 kW. The proposed system was found to be adequate for electric vehicles, allowing them to drive freely on specially implemented roads by obtaining power from the buried power supply rail.