World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden • Hacker News Board

Re: World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden

#21

Post by JustSomeNobody » Thu, Apr 12, 2018, 6:35 PM UTC

sgt wrote: post #20

ConceitedCode wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apparently they tested just that - Säll said: “There is no electricity on the surface. There are two tracks, just like an outlet in the wall. Five or six centimetres down is where the electricity is. But if you flood the road with salt water then we have found that the electricity level at the surface is just one volt. You could walk on it barefoot.” They also mentioned they turn off each segment if there is not a ca…

But will slugs be able to safely cross the road?

No. But in a few generations they'll learn not to. In a few more they'll be expert jumpers.

Re: World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden

#22

Post by TazeTSchnitzel » Thu, Apr 12, 2018, 6:37 PM UTC

rb808 wrote: post #2

Wow I always assumed plugin batteries would be the only way to run electric cars, this is great. Also searching I saw these trucks using overhead electric lines, also in Sweden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27100u7IcII

It seems they're trying a few approaches out to see what works best.

Re: World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden

#23

Post by bitwize » Thu, Apr 12, 2018, 6:40 PM UTC

"The Deliverator's car has enough potential energy packed into its batteries to fire a pound of bacon into the asteroid Belt. Unlike a bimbo box or a Burb beater, the Deliverator's car unloads that power through gaping, gleaming, polished sphincters. When the Deliverator puts the hammer down, shit happens. You want to talk contact patches? Your car's tires have tiny contact patches, talk to the asphalt in four places the size of your tongue. The Deliverator's car has big sticky tires with contact patches the size of a fat lady's thighs. The Deliverator is in touch with the road, starts like a bad day, stops on a peseta."

Re: World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden

#24

Post by JustSomeNobody » Thu, Apr 12, 2018, 6:41 PM UTC

kwhitefoot wrote: post #3

It would be cheaper and more easily scalable to fit more charging points in parking spaces at shopping centres, motorway service stations and so on. Why do we keep on inventing new complicated ways of doing things instead of standardising and exploiting the things that we already know work?

Good for them for actually trying something.

You actually have to try and make something. Sometimes you get it wrong. That's ok, sometimes you'll get it right. As long as the general trend line is going up, you're doing good.

Re: World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden

#25

Post by f4rker » Thu, Apr 12, 2018, 6:45 PM UTC

kwhitefoot wrote: post #3

It would be cheaper and more easily scalable to fit more charging points in parking spaces at shopping centres, motorway service stations and so on. Why do we keep on inventing new complicated ways of doing things instead of standardising and exploiting the things that we already know work?

Because people do not learn from history

Source : history

Re: World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden

#26

Post by hyuibg » Thu, Apr 12, 2018, 6:51 PM UTC

This isn’t all that new - in fact London’s tram system was using it c100 years ago:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UIyXE_Fv3vA/TkLYU8vbHRI/AAAAAAAALb...

Re: World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden

#27

Post by notatoad » Thu, Apr 12, 2018, 6:56 PM UTC

This doesn't make much sense as an urban project, where chargers are close by, lane-switching is frequent, people are likely to be on the road, and which the article invites you to think about by comparing the cost to an urban tram.

but it makes ton of sense for long-distance highway journeys, which is a problem that really needs solving before electric vehicles can be practical.

Re: World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden

#28

Post by bluGill » Thu, Apr 12, 2018, 6:59 PM UTC

kwhitefoot wrote: post #3

It would be cheaper and more easily scalable to fit more charging points in parking spaces at shopping centres, motorway service stations and so on. Why do we keep on inventing new complicated ways of doing things instead of standardising and exploiting the things that we already know work?

Because I want to stop for at most 10 minutes every 2 hours. (better yet I want a self driving car where 8 hours latter I wake up where I'm going, and the farther I get in that 8 hours the better) With gas cars we can do this, with batteries that requires a lot of expensive, heavy batteries (the heavy is important because energy is expended just hauling them around).

I don't know if this is a good/useful solution to the problem, but it is an obvious idea to consider.

Re: World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden

#29

Post by bluGill » Thu, Apr 12, 2018, 7:00 PM UTC

yodon wrote: post #6

I can’t help but be amused at the way people fear cell phone towers but love wireless charging devices

I'm sure people will fear this too. Driving by the same people who probably will make a ton of money speaking about how bad it is for you. Of course in both cases that science says there is no harm is best shouted down.

Re: World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden

#30

Post by verandaguy_alt » Thu, Apr 12, 2018, 7:06 PM UTC

ConceitedCode wrote: post #16

rb808 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd like to see how it works with a salted wet road too - do they turn it off?

Apparently they tested just that - Säll said: “There is no electricity on the surface. There are two tracks, just like an outlet in the wall. Five or six centimetres down is where the electricity is. But if you flood the road with salt water then we have found that the electricity level at the surface is just one volt. You could walk on it barefoot.” They also mentioned they turn off each segment if there is not a ca…

That's actually reassuring, I'm glad they looked into this.

My follow-up concern is, what if, under these salty and wet conditions, something causes a short circuit between the powered rails?

e.g., either a defective vehicle-side contact where the anode and cathode allow for the water and salt to close a much smaller gap, or if someone deliberately sticks a piece of metal on there.