Researcher Foresees Day When Motorists No Longer Need to Stop And `Fill `Er Up'

30 December 1999

    WARRENDALE, Pa., Dec. 30 -- You're cruising down the freeway
in your electric vehicle in the year 2005 and are about to run out of "fuel."
No need to panic, exit and stop for more power because you've already
purchased your "energy units" at the local grocery store.  Your car sends a
signal to one of many power transmitters along the highway that "hear" your
cry for help.  As you continue driving, your vehicle is recharged.
    Ronald J. Parise, Research Scientist and President, Parise Research
Technologies, refers to this new technical application as the Vehicle Remote
Charge, described in a paper he will present at the Society of Automotive
Engineers 2000 World Congress in Detroit, Michigan, March 6-9, 2000.
    Parise's invention envisions an all-electric, wireless transportation
system that will drastically reduce air pollution, while providing consumers
full mobility and the convenience they currently enjoy with gasoline-powered
vehicles.
    Current battery-driven electric vehicles have a range of only 80-100 miles
before needing recharging.  And the recharging process can take as much as
8-10 hours.  This inconvenience is a major obstacle that automakers face in
commercializing electric vehicles.
    Using Parise's system, energy is provided to the vehicle by a wireless
transmission network that is established along the roadside, perhaps on
existing telephone poles.  Sophisticated guidance systems direct the energy,
via laser or microwave beams, from the transmitters to the vehicle's energy
storage unit (battery, flywheel, ultra-capacitor, etc.).  Consumers purchase
"energy units," similar in size and concept to today's prepaid phone cards, at
grocery stores, over the Internet, etc., that tell the transmitters when the
vehicle needs energy.
    Parise's invention incorporates existing technology from the automotive
and defense industries into a commercial venture.  All the technology is
available today, as is the infrastructure to position the Power Transmitting
Units along the roadside.
    The paper will be presented at 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 8 during the
SAE 2000 World Congress at Cobo Center (Room D0-01, A&B), Detroit, Michigan.
The world's largest showcase of automotive engineering technologies, the SAE
Congress runs March 6-9, 2000, and attracts attendees from more than 80
countries.  To attend, visit the SAE website at http://www.sae.org or call
1-877-SAE-CONG (723-2664); outside the U.S. and Canada, call 1-724-772-4027.