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Heavy Duty Research

Purdue researchers collaborate with Cummins to develop wireless charging technology for heavy-duty vehicles.

Researchers from the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering are partnering with Cummins Inc., Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and Walmart to develop wireless charging technology for electric heavy-duty vehicles like Class 8 trucks, thanks to a $5 million award from the United States Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office.

Cummins leads the project, starting with the development of a 750kW wireless charging system alongside ORNL. This system will be integrated into a Class 8 electric truck, with Purdue testing the technology to ensure its compatibility with other wireless charging systems. Walmart will later demonstrate the system in real-world fleet operations.

Electric tractor-trailers with regional routes are suitable for electrification due to their predictable travel distances. However, wired charging poses logistical and safety challenges, as high-power cables are heavy and difficult to manage. To address this, Cummins, in partnership with Purdue, ORNL, and Walmart, is developing a stationary wireless VHP (very high-power) charging system, designed to minimize intervention from fleet workers.

Dionysios Aliprantis, professor of electrical and computer engineering and Purdue’s principal investigator for this project, compares this system to a cellphone charging station.

“The basic idea is that instead of charging your electric vehicle with a cable, you would charge it wirelessly, much like how you can place a phone on a charging pad,” Aliprantis said. “In this case, the driver would simply park the tractor-trailer on top of the system that would then charge it over 15-20 minutes.”

Purdue’s primary role is to test the interoperability of this technology with other wireless charging systems and examine its impact on the power grid. Steven D. Pekarek, the Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer, III Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, emphasizes the importance of a robust infrastructure and compatibility between different systems to increase the adoption of electric vehicles. Addressing cost and range anxiety, particularly in heavy- duty vehicles, is crucial for this transition.

Additionally, Aliprantis, Pekarek, and Aaron Brovont, research assistant professor in ECE at Purdue, will test the technology for dynamic wireless power transfer, which charges vehicles in motion. This system, developed in collaboration with the Indiana Department of Transportation, features charging coils installed on a segment of U.S. Route 231 in Indiana, charging vehicles as they drive over them.

The transportation sector significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., making vehicle electrification essential for reducing pollutants. However, widespread adoption of electric vehicles requires an extensive and systematic charging infrastructure. This project aims to enhance the transportation sector by making electric vehicles more accessible and eco-friendly.