Researcher Foresees Day When Motorists No Longer Need to Stop And `Fill `Er Up'
30 December 1999
Researcher Foresees Day When Motorists No Longer Need to Stop And `Fill `Er Up'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.