Sources of heat affecting an electric road system

Abstract

Electric road systems (ERS) are an emerging technology driven by the growing need for electric propulsion of land transports. Electric vehicles, supplied by energy from charging when standing still, have significantly more limited operating range than vehicles supplied by combustible fuels. Electric road systems allow the electric vehicles to charge continuously while driving, making the electric vehicles range longer than for conventional vehicles, essentially infinite. With multiple vehicles charging from the same electric road system the combined power transfer is high. An ERS system located on the ground can be reached and touched by humans and animals. Thus, apart from the electric safety issue, the operating temperature of the ERS system is also a safety issue. This makes it important to investigate the different sources of heat to understand where improvements can be made.