Efficiency of an AC Conductive In-Road Charging System for Electric Vehicles-Analysis of Pilot Project Data

This article describes the conductive in-road charging system as developed in the eRoadArlanda project, a pilot project for the development of in-road charging system for both heavy and light vehicles intended for application in motorways. The results of an analysis of measurements collected during the integration tests of this system are presented and discussed. The results focus on the end-to-end efficiency of the in-road charging system and aim to provide researchers in the field with a reference for this technology and configuration for use in the future development of such infrastructure. The analysis of the measurement data addresses losses in the low-voltage side of the AC conductive charging system as well as the vehicle-mounted isolated rectifier/converter connected to the vehicle DC system. An exploratory analysis of data collected over a 6-month testing period in varying weather conditions is used to provide insight into factors affecting the overall efficiency of the system. A discussion of the results includes the effects of cable dimensioning, rectifier performance and placement, and the use of salt for deicing.