As a Prius driver since 2005, I've closely watched the evolution of hybrid vehicles. The FY10 Prius included an optional solar powered cooling system. The FY11 Prius offers a plug in option to charge the batteries from household current overnight.
This week, Google installed a wireless induction unit at its Mountain View headquarters to charge a specially equipped Prius.
The charging system is a prototype product from Plugless Power which works on the principle of electromagnetic induction. A coil in the charging station is connected to an electrical source and another coil is placed in the Prius. Electric current flowing through a primary coil creates a magnetic field that acts on the secondary coil producing a current within it, charging the Prius battery.
A Prius driver parks the car near a charging station. A paddle on the charging station moves to align the two coils and charging begins. The end result is a fully charged battery without wires.
A zero emission vehicle with automatic charging in your parking space.
That's cool!
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