By Isabella Kaminski
HaloIPT, which develops inductive power transfer (IPT) technology for wirelessly charging electric vehicles, has formed a partnership with Drayson Racing Technologies, the green research and design racing organisation founded by Lord Drayson, former UK Minister for Science and Innovation.
HaloIPT and Drayson Racing, which develops and races green motorsport technology, including electric vehicles, aim to pioneer dynamic (in-motion) charging of electric cars.
The racing cars will be fitted with HaloIPT technology and will pick up power wirelessly from transmitters buried under the surface of the road or race track. This transfers power directly to the vehicle’s electric battery, ensuring that the car is constantly charged on the move.
According to HaloIPT, its technology provides a significant tolerance to misalignment over the transmitter pads, automatically adjusting for changing vertical gap. As a result, the system has the ability to intelligently distribute power, ensuring consistent delivery of power at speed.
HaloIPT and Drayson Racing will work together on the development of electric drive-train packages and trackside charging systems to replace internal combustion engines and fuel pit stops. HaloIPT’s technology will be marketed by Drayson Racing to the motorsport industry as affordable, practical systems for race cars and race circuits.
Lord Paul Drayson, Co-founder of Drayson Racing, says: “Dynamic wireless charging will be a real game-changer, enabling zero emission electric vehicles to race over long periods without the need for heavy batteries. Motor racing is the ideal environment to fast-track the development of this promising technology and to prove its effectiveness. This is a milestone innovation that will have a dramatic effect not just on racing but on the mainstream auto industry.”
Dr Anthony Thomson, CEO of HaloIPT, says: “HaloIPT’s technology has a proven heritage in dynamic charging and we are excited to be transferring this expertise to the electric vehicle market. The deal with Drayson Racing demonstrates the appetite for technology that makes driving an electric car more convenient, and this is certainly the case in the motorsport sector – nothing could be more convenient than a race car that re-fuels itself on the track.”