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“Awesome Mobility” is a name so kooky-yet-at-the-same-time-kind-of-catchy, that it could only have been conceived by our European friends (in this case a team from the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands). Same goes for the voice-over on the video below. But the idea itself is pretty cool. Seriously.
In a WIRED magazine article about Better Place, the author recalls a scene in which Shai Agassi and his gang scratch their heads over the question: where should the recharge cable be placed so that it won’t inconvenience the driver? It’s a pretty important issue when you think about it. Will it be on the side of the car? Will the driver have to squeeze through other parked cars to get to the recharge cable? If it isn’t easy, people won’t use it!
“Awesome Mobility” offers an answer. Park your car over a circle on the road; it doesn’t have to be a perfect park. A plug will pop up out of the ground, align with your car, hook up, and start pumping electricity. When you’re all filled up, it retracts back into the ground, and you drive off into the sunset.
What do you think?
Via ABG
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Comments (17)
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written by OO, February 25, 2009
Having grown up in Canada, where everyone plugs their car in for 4 to 6 months over winter, I wonder why this is necessary? Check out the front grill in a Canadian car in the winter and you see a cord hanging out (and sometimes ripped when the driver forgot to unplug one morning - hilarious really).
Canadian parking lots are wired for electric cars - now where are they?
Canadian parking lots are wired for electric cars - now where are they?
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written by ttt, February 25, 2009
you might save a few dollars on energy but how much are you going to spend on rubber tyres? this form of charging stops the wheels from turning.
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written by John, February 25, 2009
Personally, i was allready thinking one step ahead, namely wireless recharging with witricity.
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written by John, February 25, 2009
in theory wireless recharging is a good idea but the amount of voltages required are very high and i think would be dangerous at the level required. a wired plug into the front of the car, like ev1, like rav 4 ev or back of the car like the prius conversions will work nicely. the changing battery thing sounds like a good idea but i don't think it will work in practice
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written by Gianni, February 25, 2009
For goodness sake, if getting to the socket is such a big deal then put a socket on each corner of the car.
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written by smithinparis, February 25, 2009
What about after a fresh snowfall, crusted over with a sheet of ice? Plowed over by city snow plows? Dumped on by tons of road salt and slush?
Plugs on the front of cars have worked fine for millions of cars over the years for block heaters, I really don't see a problem, and like Gianni mentioned, put multiple plugs on the car - we aren't trying to plumb gas anymore...
Plugs on the front of cars have worked fine for millions of cars over the years for block heaters, I really don't see a problem, and like Gianni mentioned, put multiple plugs on the car - we aren't trying to plumb gas anymore...
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written by smithinparis, February 25, 2009
Using a standard household outlet + extension cord is something that everyone can do at home. If this system were to be adopted, would the expectation be that a car be outfitted with both standard (accessible) plugs (for household charging) AND this new contraption (for when you are out and about), or is the expectation that every household would have to buy one of these gizmos and dig up their driveways.
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written by Scott McClellan, February 25, 2009
Automated technology is always a fun idea. Would it be cool if everything was self-everything? In a movie maybe, but in my experience automation is good for creating jobs for repairmen. It is extremely expensive and rarely works.
In this case the build cost would be insane. You'd need somekind of concrete vault to house the actuating mechanism, and to give you an access panel of somekind to fix it when it breaks. You've just increased your build/maintinence cost by thousands of dollars.
Personally, I think charging stations should be cheap and easy to install so that mom and pop can open there own with a couple acres for some windmills and solar panels. I don't think they should perpetuate the high-cost, over-regulated market where the big guys don't let the little guys play.
In this case the build cost would be insane. You'd need somekind of concrete vault to house the actuating mechanism, and to give you an access panel of somekind to fix it when it breaks. You've just increased your build/maintinence cost by thousands of dollars.
Personally, I think charging stations should be cheap and easy to install so that mom and pop can open there own with a couple acres for some windmills and solar panels. I don't think they should perpetuate the high-cost, over-regulated market where the big guys don't let the little guys play.
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written by Kevin, February 25, 2009
Let's not forget in ground charging means dealing with moisture due to ground water. Most electric lines are still in the air so the electric company does not have to deal with moisture contamination and its nasty side affects of every sort. Water levels in coastal regions would really mess with a ground facility based charging system.
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written by Carl, February 25, 2009
The problem with all these ideas for patented charging systems is that each car manufacturer would need to support it. The 1990's EVs finally seemed to standardize on paddle chargers, which are the kind now in place. Seems like a bad idea to do something different, and then all the car companies would need to agree to support it.
I don't see inserting a paddle is that big of a deal. Make it cheap enough so there are lots of them.
I don't see inserting a paddle is that big of a deal. Make it cheap enough so there are lots of them.
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written by Harry, February 25, 2009
this system should not charge up your battery, it should just replace your used battery with a charged battery.
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written by Jelle Zijlstra, February 27, 2009
To make things a bit clearer to some of you: this design was not made for use on parking spots, bur for gas stations (or McDonalds or supermarkets) where you can fast charge in a matter of 10 or 15 minutes for long rides. The technology is still being developed (a.o.: www.epyon.nl). Because of the high amounts of volts and ampères needed, this is something you cannot plug/unplug by hand, the cable is about 80 to 100mm diameter and made of copper! (Btw, in Europe almost all electric cables are underground, up to 25.000 Volt.) The heart of the design are the rotating disks that allow the sockets to allign. Battery swapping is regarded as being unpractical because it requires similar battery-setup on all brands and types of cars.
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written by Ecir Nodnarb, March 04, 2009
I don't want to get under the car to align the plug when the alignment mechanism is slightly off. It would probably have to be some sort of optical sensor which would get dirty and always have to stay clean. I would also have to keep my vehicle undercarriage clean, and I can barely keep the top of my vehicle clean.
Obviously I won't have one of these systems at my house, so I'm going to need a regular plug of some type elsewhere on the car.
Rapid charging also reduces the life of the battery system. There is a trade-off. A rapid charging system like this might be attractive once ultra-capacitor systems become the main storage device for the electrical charge. Then rapid charging would be absolutely necessary when the charge only takes 5 minutes or less.
Until the day of economical ultra-capacitors (eg EESTOR)the Range Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV) will be absolutely necessary to make EVs acceptable to modern society. Hopefully, the Chevy Volt is going to be the first to do this.
Obviously I won't have one of these systems at my house, so I'm going to need a regular plug of some type elsewhere on the car.
Rapid charging also reduces the life of the battery system. There is a trade-off. A rapid charging system like this might be attractive once ultra-capacitor systems become the main storage device for the electrical charge. Then rapid charging would be absolutely necessary when the charge only takes 5 minutes or less.
Until the day of economical ultra-capacitors (eg EESTOR)the Range Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV) will be absolutely necessary to make EVs acceptable to modern society. Hopefully, the Chevy Volt is going to be the first to do this.
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written by Ray, March 04, 2009
There is a natural gas pipe 30 feet away from the corner gas station. CNG vehicles are somewahat greener and have a better range, for now. It can happen.
google: Pickens Plan!
google: Pickens Plan!
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written by Elmut, April 22, 2009
An awesome infrastructure cost far less than range extension by PHEV. A collective system like this one cost far less than millions of invividuals hibrydation systems.
The awesomemobility system, and also the ECOtality one, are excellent.
The awesomemobility system, and also the ECOtality one, are excellent.
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written by enicao, May 10, 2009
I perfectly understand the concept:
- normal plug for overnight charging at home
- "awesome mobility" fast recharge at refuelling stations on highways. the big wires needed can't be moved by hands
new battery technologie will allow 5 minutes charging very soon.
- normal plug for overnight charging at home
- "awesome mobility" fast recharge at refuelling stations on highways. the big wires needed can't be moved by hands
new battery technologie will allow 5 minutes charging very soon.
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It would be great if they think they can easily and cheaply install these on whole parking lots and the like, but I'm sceptical.
Also: That narrator is baaaad. ^_^