Design of Road Embedded Dynamic Charging Systems for Electrified Transportation

The U.S. transportation sector represented about 28% of all energy consumption in 2018. Petroleum products accounted for 92% of this total energy. Light-duty vehicles are the largest energy consumers in the transportation sector. The high amount of petroleum used by light-duty vehicles creates significant economic and environmental challenges. Electric Vehicles (EVs) have a higher fuel economy and can be emission-free; they are therefore an alternative solution for minimizing the negative environmental impact of internal combustion engine vehicles. However, the adoption of EVs has been limited by their limited driving range, long recharging time, and comparatively higher price. Dynamic wireless charging technology allows for charging the EV battery in motion. Charging pads are embedded in the road and the EV battery is charged while the vehicle is passing over them. This technology not only extends the EV range but also results in a considerable reduction in battery size and capacity. Therefore, dynamic wireless charging solves one of the major issues of EVs, leading to their large-scale adoption. In the first part of this dissertation, a pad optimization methodology is presented to minimize system cost and losses. Using this method, two pads are optimized, built and tested for charging the EV. In the next section, two methods are presented to estimate how much the EV is laterally misaligned with respect to the center of the charging pads. This helps to increase system efficiency and power transfer capability. Finally, new concrete-based material is presented and studied to reduce the charging pad cost and increase their durability