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British Green Racing gets a boost from HaloIPT

Remember racing those little 1/32nd scale cars around an electrified track? Now drivers will be maneuvering their full size race cars about a track using inductive power transference to charge the vehicles as they race. Electricity is powering the future of British Green Racing thanks to an agreement between Drayson Racing Technologies and HaloIPT.
Posted: July 27, 2011 - 7:12PM
Author: Don Bain

Lord Paul Drayson, founder of the green racing research and development organization, was the former UK Minister for Science and Innovation. The stated mission of the group is to engender and race green motorsports technology, including electric vehicles. Now they have added the intention to champion the deployment of dynamic mobile charging of zero emission electric vehicles.

HaloIPT has developed the technology, that will allow racecars to pick up power wirelessly from transmitters buried under the surface of the road or race track. By transferring power directly to the vehicle's battery, it will constantly be charging – just like the little cars we used to race around the indoor track constantly drew power from the track itself.This is made possible via HaloIPT's tested technology that has a significant tolerance of misalignment over transmitter pads, automatically adjusting for varying vertical height. The system can intelligently distribute power, ensuring a consistent delivery even at high speed.

"HaloIPT's technology has a proven heritage in dynamic charging and we are excited to be transferring this expertise to the electric vehicle market,” said Dr Anthony Thomson, CEO of HaloIPT. “The deal with Drayson Racing demonstrates the appetite for technology that makes driving an electric car more convenient, and this is certainly the case in the motorsport sector - nothing could be more convenient than a race car that re-fuels itself on the track."

HaloIPT and Drayson Racing will work together on the development of electric drive-train packages and trackside-charging systems to replace the internal combustion engine and fuel pit stops.

"Dynamic wireless charging will be a real game-changer, enabling zero emission electric vehicles to race over long periods without the need for heavy batteries,” Drayson said. “This is a milestone innovation that will have a dramatic effect not just on racing but on the mainstream auto industry. We're looking forward to putting this technology through its paces as it charges electric race cars at speeds of up to 200 mph."

In the not too distant future, wealthy hobbyists may race full size radio-controlled cars about an electrified track, in an eerie tribute to those little cars and indoor tracks that once thrilled thousands of miniature enthusiasts.

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