EU project boosts efficiency of electric vehicles
A European project funded under the BRITE/EURAM 3 programme of the European Commission's Fourth Framework programme has succeeded in developing totally automatic charging systems for electric vehicles. The project, 'fully automatic inductive charging systems, requiring no driver intervention for electric vehicles, or 'EVIAC' involved ten partners from four EU Member States. Work lasted 36 months and ended in August 2000 'I think the project is a success because we have in Europe a real European version of this type of charging system,' project coordinator Gaston Maggetto from the Free University of Brussels told CORDIS News. With Europe's roads becoming more crowded, and worries about pollution increasing, the electric vehicles market is likely to increase substantially in size. The energy supply infrastructure for electric vehicles is an important aspect, on which this and other projects have focused. Professor Maggetto described the innovative aspect of the project. 'This was the development of inductive charging systems which are different to what was already developed in the US. These are still connected with the wire to the feeding, while in this case, the charging system is half on the ground and half on board the vehicle, and when parking the vehicle, you are putting the two parts in front of each other and then charging starts automatically. The big advantage is the total absence of connection.' Now those in the project are trying to market the system. One of the first fields of application is the electrical fork lift truck.