High performance inductive power transfer system with narrow rail width for On-Line Electric Vehicles

A new inductive power transfer system (IPTS) with narrow rail width and large air-gap for electric vehicle (EV) is proposed in this paper. By a new core structure, the orientation of magnetic flux is alternating along with the road. Hence, the proposed IPTS with narrow rail width, 10 cm, and large air-gap, up to 20 cm, can be implemented for EV. The power supply inverter uses 440 V, 3phase input and supplies 20 kHz output current. To null the high voltages of power rail and pick-up and to transfer maximum power to vehicles, resonant capacitors are inserted to each side of the rail and the pick-up. The test results show that the maximum output power is 35 kW and the maximum efficiency is 74% at 27 kW output. The proposed IPTS is found to be adequate for EV which can freely drive on the road by picking up the power from the underground power supply rail.