Plugless Charging

[Garlan Garner]

New Jersey and Oregon are the only U.S. states that currently ban self-service gas stations.
The purpose of these laws was to protect consumers and gas station owners from costly, and possibly deadly, accidents.
(or to provides extra income to the owner of the gas station?
Bans on Gas Pumping

I just wonder if you will need to use a valet parking in NJ and OR?

I didn't know that. I will have to remember to bring extra cash when driving through those states.

 

[NeverFollow]

Efficiency:
Plugless is roughly 7% less efficient than corded level 1 charging
Plugless is roughly 12% less efficient than corded level 2 charging.

https://avt.inl.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/evse/PLUGLESSEvatranStandaloneTestResultsFactSheet.pdf
Page: 2 - System Efficiency variation with coil misalignment

Note: I can see the impact of the horizontal coil position relative to secondary coil (X and Y axis)
-> between 86.5% and 87% efficiency for 100 mm (or 4" inches) misalignment from center.

but I cannot find real information about the vertical air gap (Z axis)?

 

[Garlan Garner]

https://avt.inl.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/evse/PLUGLESSEvatranStandaloneTestResultsFactSheet.pdf
Page: 2 - System Efficiency variation with coil misalignment

Note: I can see the impact of the horizontal coil position relative to secondary coil (X and Y axis)
-> between 86.5% and 87% efficiency for 100 mm (or 4" inches) misalignment from center.

but I cannot find real information about the vertical air gap (Z axis)?

Really? Is 4% difference in charging going to make or break your purchase?

 

[PluglessSteve]

Heya NeverFollow - thanks for your interest in Plugless.

I wrote: "Plugless is roughly 7% less efficient than corded level 1 charging
Plugless is roughly 12% less efficient than corded level 2 charging."

I think you are pointing out that 7% and 12% doesn't match the testing sheets. The key is "as compared to corded"

So thanks for pointing that out, it's a common question. When talking about efficiency claims it's always good to ask "as compared to what?" So in our case, since the choice is corded charger or wireless charging, then our efficiency should be compared to the inherent inefficiency of corded charging (minor when talking about corded level 2 chargers).

but I cannot find real information about the vertical air gap (Z axis)?

That info is directly below and to the right of the X and Y graph on page 2:
Note: the current system is set to 100MM (4") the optimum choice to balance clearance, efficiency and allow the widest range of consistent charging across X and Y axis (Plugless will charge if you charge 4" in any direction off perfect alignment and sometimes up to 6")

 

[NeverFollow]

Note: the current system is set to 100MM (4") the optimum choice to balance clearance, efficiency and allow the widest range of consistent charging across X and Y axis (Plugless will charge if you charge 4" in any direction off perfect alignment and sometimes up to 6")

PluglessSteve, Thank you for all your instructive and detailed information.

I think that a future big market (and need) for any plugless charging is to provide street charging since I believe that about 60% of the cars are parked in the street at night in big cities (cannot remember about the article that I read but I think that 60% in average in a good number) in residential areas.

Also, because of vandalism and the need to provide a long cable to plug-in (because of the various car's plug locations), it seems obvious that a plugless system hidden in the ground (and similar to a sewage manhole) and controlled from inside a car (or using a box similar to a street park meter) is really the only doable solution.

The plugless system hidden in the ground also must have no moving part (as mentioned before) however, most cars have at least 6" ground clearance or even more in the case of SUVs.

Tesla Model S: 6" ground clearance
Tesla air suspension height ground clearance measurements

So, unless the car has an adjustable air suspension, and also because all the cars don't have the same width, making difficult to center the two coils in the case of parallel to the curb street parking, I think that the ideal optimum 4" (100 mm) gap mentioned above would not be easy to be possible.

I wonder then if the coil installed under the car would then need to be mobile and self adjustable for optimum efficiency?

 

[Tiberius]

Here's the proper section Charging Standards and Infrastructure

 

[Ingineer]

So I guess if you have to press the brake to cancel charging, summon will not work if it's still charging when you want to pull it out?

 

[EaglesPDX]

Hello Future Tesla 3 owners!

Steve,

My install would be purely outdoors. Power company is putting in a transformer and a drop. Our parking lot is on the street Electrician is taking it from there. We underground to 12 x 2 car deep parking spots. Electrician will take care of all the outdoor electrical issues.

How does the charging unit secure to the pavement?

Also can the charging unit be turned off/locked via an app? Don't want to be offering a free charging spot during the day.

And can the Plugless for the Tesla 3 be used for any EV with the Plugless adaptor? Friends come over with their EV VW's etc? Or reverse. Friend is leasing a VW EV and will likely buy a Tesla 3. If he puts a Plugless in his parking garage, would he be able to use it for his VW now and his T3 in the future?

 

[EaglesPDX]

Also, because of vandalism and the need to provide a long cable to plug-in (because of the various car's plug locations), it seems obvious that a plugless system hidden in the ground (and similar to a sewage manhole) and controlled from inside a car (or using a box similar to a street park meter) is really the only doable solution.

That is my situation. I don't need the box hidden in the ground, just anchored to the pavement. But plug less is the real solution for those in parking lots or driveways with no garages. No cables, no cable boxes, nothing looking to be vandalized or stolen. We have some aggressive recyclers in the area and that cable would be very attractive.

On the flip side, the pulsing charging light on the PlugLess would likely deter evil doers.

 

[JeffK]

That is my situation. I don't need the box hidden in the ground, just anchored to the pavement. But plug less is the real solution for those in parking lots or driveways with no garages. No cables, no cable boxes, nothing looking to be vandalized or stolen. We have some aggressive recyclers in the area and that cable would be very attractive.

On the flip side, the pulsing charging light on the PlugLess would likely deter evil doers.

Until you get a messed up vet thinking it's an IED.

 

[EaglesPDX]

Until you get a messed up vet thinking it's an IED.

Kind of like the red interior security lights in most cars, letting potential thieves know there is a security system at work? Does Tesla have that by the way?

Works as intended either way, they run away from it.

For people parking adjacent to the street in open lots, the wireless charging system is the way to go with theft and vandalism of the cable the most likely scenario. With the Tesla 3, EV's are moving out of the high rent district into the working people's world. The Plugless solution is a better fits for that larger world.

 

[cgiGuy]

So I guess if you have to press the brake to cancel charging, summon will not work if it's still charging when you want to pull it out?

How realistic is using this with summon going to be anyways, when there's probably a 2 feet variance in the left/right position of my car every time I let it pull itself in? Just ask my wife. She asks me if I'd been drinking on the way home from work when she sees the car's park job.

With a 4-6" allowance for being off alignment, it's going to be hit or miss.

 

[BluestarE3]

For people parking adjacent to the street in open lots, the wireless charging system is the way to go with theft and vandalism of the cable the most likely scenario. With the Tesla 3, EV's are moving out of the high rent district into the working people's world. The Plugless solution is a better fits for that larger world.

Maybe those plugless charging parking spaces should also display signs warning of death by electrocution or gas tank explosion if a gasoline automobile is parked there. May help deter ICEing of charging stations.

 

[EaglesPDX]

How realistic is using this with summon going to be anyways,

It's not relevant to using Plugless now or the next 10 years anyway. Public plugless would require 90% of EV's to have a Plugless adaptor and be self parking and have "summon" feature. When that happens, then Plugless offers a special homing signal in the device to allow the car to park precisely for charging.

 

[EaglesPDX]

Maybe those plugless charging parking spaces should also display signs warning of death by electrocution or gas tank explosion if a gasoline automobile is parked there.

A simple Zombie Infestation warning sign should suffice.

 

[cgiGuy]

It's not relevant to using Plugless now or the next 10 years anyway.

Relevant to someone who is buying this to compliment what their car can currently do.

 

[hiroshiy]

@PluglessSteve , I've got a question. In tech specs page, it says 30A breaker. That would mean 24A continuous and at 208V, that yields to 4.9kW. I think to allow 3.3kW charging with 88% efficiency, the power requirement should be:
3300 / 0.88 / 208 / 0.8 = 23A, so 25A breaker would do?

 

[timk225]

Have we really gotten that lazy as a society that plugging in a cord is so much of a hassle that it needs to be "improved" upon with wireless charging?

We are definitely in the decline of our civilization, no doubt about it.

 

[cgiGuy]

Have we really gotten that lazy as a society that plugging in a cord is so much of a hassle that it needs to be "improved" upon with wireless charging?

We are definitely in the decline of our civilization, no doubt about it.

Judgmental much?

 

[JoeCoolMan24]

Have we really gotten that lazy as a society that plugging in a cord is so much of a hassle that it needs to be "improved" upon with wireless charging?

We are definitely in the decline of our civilization, no doubt about it.

"Have we gotten so lazy that we can't even type things out anymore, and now we use voice-searches?" - Some crotchety person from 2013.

"Have we gotten so lazy that we can't even get up to change to one of the 6 other channels we get, so now we need a clicker to change the station?" - Some crotchety person from the late 1950s

They will always exist.