Very cool

[Bradr]

takeapart.com

 

What do you get when you unplug the “plug-in” from a “plug-in hybrid” vehicle?

 

An identity crisis, for one. After all, what is the hybrid without its hyphenated sidekick?

 

That’s the bad news—the upside is that if a recently announced deal between Delphi Automotive and WiTricity pans out, you’ll be charging your electric car simply by pulling into a parking spot.

 

No cables, cords, or sockets.

 

The only thing between your car and its energy power bar will be your ability to park between two white lines.

 

The Delphi/WiTricity system is embedded in a parking lot or placed on a garage floor, from where it emits a wireless charge, reports AutoBlog Green.

 

“This is groundbreaking technology that could enable automotive manufacturers to integrate wireless charging directly into the design of their hybrid and electric vehicles,” said Randy Sumner, director of global hybrid vehicle development at Delphi, in a press release.

 

WiTricity estimates that it can transfer 3,000 watts wirelessly with a current system—about the same amount as a standard plug-included EV charging system.

 

“Charging an electric car should be as easy as parking it in your garage or parking spot,” said WiTricity CEO Eric Giler.

 

Before you go all Edward Scissorhands on your EV’s power cords, heed some advice from Green Auto Blog:

 

Automakers, or some aftermarket company, will have to outfit battery-powered vehicles with a power capture resonator, and until that becomes a standard item on each and every EV, a nation dotted with wireless chargers remains just a dream.

 

TakePart has a few questions too:

 

—Is it safe to have all that electricity out in the open? What happens if your car's charging during a lightning storm?

 

—Will you increase the amount of time you spend inside a supermarket while your car's outside charging?

 

—Who pays for it? Will the tab be picked up by the city or the owner of the parking lot? Or will the consumer pay, like popping quarters in a parking meter?

 

Now we just need them to embed these in all the roads too and we'll never have to fill up ever again!