Shanhui Fan, electrical engineering

Electric vehicles (EVs) offer superior energy efficiency while offering an enormous potential for reducing CO2 emissions, if the electricity is supplied from a renewable or nuclear source. However, EVs are neither range- nor cost-competitive compared to conventional vehicles, due to limited options for recharging and the high cost of batteries.

To overcome these challenges, the research team will design a radiationless electromagnetic antenna – a novel technology that, if successful, will demonstrate the feasibility of wireless power transfer to vehicles cruising at highway speed via magnetically coupled resonating coils in the roadbed and in the vehicles.

The ability of electric vehicles to receive power from the roadway could have a huge impact on electric vehicle transportation, dramatically reducing petroleum use, carbon emissions, traffic congestion and highway accidents.