Economic Feasibility of In-Motion Wireless Power Transfer In A High-Density Traffic Corridor
Electricity is expected to become a dominant power source in the transportation sector, but under a
stationary recharging model, electric powered vehicles still suffer some disadvantages relative to conventional vehicles. Recent developments in wireless power transfer (WPT) technology can enable an
alternative vehicle recharging model wherein power is supplied to vehicles while they are moving,
mitigating the need for charging stops and high-capacity on-board energy storage. One of the greatest
concerns associated with dynamic WPT is that the required infrastructure costs would be prohibitively
high; however, the life-cycle costs and benefits of such a system have been under-researched. In this
work, we apply a systems-level assessment to a case study of a WPT charging system located on the
densely trafficked I-710 corridor in Los Angeles, California. Detailed cost estimates for electronics and
implementation, high-fidelity energy consumption modeling, and survey-derived adoption projections
are applied to evaluate scenarios of economic feasibility and environmental impact. Results show that a
“1st-of-a-kind” system can achieve a payback in 20 years while maintaining operating cost advantages
relative to petroleum fueling. System economics are shown to improve substantially with “nth-of-akind” capital costs. Discussion focuses on the effect of uptake trajectory on economic viability and
detailed economics outcomes for light duty and heavy duty vehicles.