Frost & Sullivan Award for New Product Innovation Presented to Conductix-Wampfler for its Pioneering Inductive Power Transfer System

LONDON, January 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

The 2010 Frost & Sullivan Europe New Product Innovation Award in the electric vehicle charging infrastructure market is presented to Conductix-Wampfler's IPT(R).

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Currently, electric vehicles require lengthy periods of direct charging, while battery limitations inhibit long operating ranges. In contrast, Conductix-Wampfler's innovative inductive power transfer system provides a user-friendly method of charging vehicles at pre-scheduled stops or at given opportunities, increasing their operating ranges while supplying the vehicles' energy storage devices with enough energy in order to get to the next charging station, i.e. in scheduled operation of buses, without using higher dimensioned battery packs.

"Conductive charging requires the driver to physically plug-in the vehicle to an electrical outlet, whereas inductive charging takes place automatically without physical contact," notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Sanketh Gudar. "Therefore, inductive charging is highly beneficial because it helps drivers avoid having to connect and disconnect a source of direct charging at each charging station during the route or before and after parking the vehicle."

This type of system offers considerable cost savings through reduced transmission losses and lowered need for repeated charge and discharge cycles of the battery. Reduced dependency on conventional charging points, which require handling of power cords and plugs, maximum protection against vandalism, improved safety and minimised impact of weather are other added advantages.

Inductive power transfer systems equipped with Conductix-Wampfler's technology make rapid charging possible, i.e. at bus stops, and are better than current wired chargers. They are safe and do not interfere with the data and nearby devices.

"The inductive charging system also cuts down the emissions from internal combustion motors," states Gudar. "Consequently, it saves customers time and money by not letting the vehicle be idly charged for a period of time."

With this system, downtimes of buses for duty charging are significantly reduced even as operation time can be kept high. Cars can be more reliably linked to the grid. Charging with less power means enhanced protective charging for batteries, resulting in extended lifetime.

"With this setup, Conductix-Wampfler achieves efficiency rates which are directly comparable with plug-in chargers," remarks Gudar. "The distinguishing factor here is that inductive charging systems are fully intervention free; they can be located at bus stops without restricting public access and can be unobtrusively integrated into urban environments without creating any visible disturbance."

With around half a million EVs forecast to be on the road by 2015, IPT(R) is positioned to make strong gains.

"A high efficiency range of over 90 per cent, the ability to transfer power over tens of cm and high power transfer rates (3.3 kW, typically for cars; 30 or 60 kW, typically for buses) are some of the advantages of Conductix-Wampfler's IPT(R)," comments Gudar. "The ability to be implemented at reasonable costs, its high tolerance to misalignment and harsh weather conditions, coupled with its usability in residential, commercial and municipal configurations, are set to boost its adoption."

The use of IPT technology can enable electric vehicles and so reduce air pollutants, resulting in improved air quality. Increased user acceptance of inductive power transfer and its ability to support better performance compared to plug-in charging systems will be an important driver for electric mobility.

The New Product Innovation Award is presented to the company that has excelled in the following criteria: innovative element of the product, leverage leading edge technologies in product, value-added features/benefits, increased customer ROI (small change) and customer acquisition/penetration potential.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

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